Despite popular belief, there is no proof that the human attention span is shorter than that of a goldfish.

That said, the sheer amount of content (and devices) fighting for our focus is rapidly increasing, condensing the amount of time we’re able to zero in on any one task or topic. As far back as 2011, one study found that, on average, we consumed 174 newspapers worth of content on a daily basis, up from two and a half pages 24 years prior (imagine how high that number is today!). And where second-screening was once seen as an ‘amazing way’ to reach users while they consume TV, studies suggest it is actually stealing our attention during commercial breaks (making TV and CTV ads present, but hardly seen, as our attention diverts to other things) This reality, paired with the ongoing search for alternate forms of measurement, has led advertisers to pay closer attention to, well, attention: How to capture it, how to quantify it and ultimately how to use it to drive awareness, recognition and sales.

Let’s start with understanding how to capture it: Creative testing and frequency. To craft an ad that’s sure to attract viewers’ attention, you need to ensure the creative is entertaining or emotionally evocative; that it’s built to engage. Testing your creative ahead of time – and placing it in the most suitable media environments – is one sure-fire way to make sure you’re getting the greatest bang for your buck from an ad campaign, fighting banner blindness (e.g. consumers’ tendency to ignore information presented in online banners), and identifying exactly what is (and is not) resonating with your audience.

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As far as frequency goes, it’s important that you’re showing an audience your ad the right number of times. If a consumer only saw your ad once in, say, a three-month period, it’s safe to assume it didn’t stick in their mind. If they saw your ad repeatedly while watching the same program, however, they’re probably over-exposed and potentially less likely to purchase from you. If you want to get – and maintain – your audience’s attention in the long run, take a Goldilocks approach: Repeatedly place an ad in front of your target audience over time, adjust that frequency depending on where someone sits in the marketing funnel, and ensure you can unify and cap frequency to avoid oversaturation.

Now, how does all of this fit in with attention measurement?

Engaging your audience goes beyond testing and tweaking creative; it goes beyond showing and re-showing your advertisement. Ultimately, engaging your audience is about the amount of focus and attention they are giving your ad in the moment – and this, naturally, is where attention measurement comes into play. Using methods like eye-tracking technology (with consumer opt-in, of course), attention measurement aims to determine how much active or passive attention is being paid to an ad, from start to finish (including which frames may have garnered more or less attention). It gives insight into the placements, programs, sites and content that are most likely to pull away consumer attention and drive campaign and placement optimization. As a marketer, having this data at your fingertips allows you to optimize your campaign to drive the best results.

Now, with so many screens, so many ads and so much information to take in – in bite-sized doses or otherwise – it’s no secret that the battle for consumer engagement is a fierce one. At the same time, it’s getting easier to measure and optimize ads; to build campaigns that are not just built to capture attention, but have the capacity to truly measure how successful they’ve been. Attention is up for grabs; it’s up to today’s advertisers to go out and get it.

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