The Active Attention Index is the industry’s first deterministic attention metric, measuring both the quality and quantity of user actions as they engage with KERV-powered videos

KERV Interactive (KERV), the leading AI-powered interactive video advertising platform, announced the official launch of its Active Attention Index (AAI), an index that measures the quality and quantity of user actions as they engage with KERV’s in-video interactive technology. The AAI represents a breakthrough in attention measurement and sets a new standard for evaluating user engagement within video.

“As the media landscape continues to evolve, consumers are inundated with more content than ever and attention is becoming an increasingly precious commodity for advertisers,” said Marika Roque, Chief Innovation and Chief Operating Officer at KERV. “Thanks to KERV’s inherently interactive platform, we already possess the capabilities to track and measure deeper engagement metrics. It was just a matter of figuring out the right formula to create a holistic portrait of audience attention and provide advertisers with the data-driven insights they need to optimize campaigns effectively.”

The AAI tracks over 15 key performance metrics, including hovers, clicks, conversions and time spent, to determine the “Active Attention” of a viewer. KERV then assigns weighted scores to each touchpoint to calculate an overall AAI performance score—a measurement of the quality of interactions per engagement with KERV units. This allows advertisers to evaluate campaign performance as audiences engage with KERV-powered videos and make creative adjustments in real-time.

“Unlike other attention metrics, the Active Attention Index is deterministic, making it extremely accurate and reliable in capturing the authentic attention of viewers,” said Jay Wolff, CRO at KERV. “We’ve tested the Index extensively, working with clients across various industries, including travel and hospitality, auto, retail, and food and beverage, and all have seen a significant lift in engagement. As we officially launch the Active Attention Index, we look forward to helping more brands connect with their target audiences on a deeper level.”

In a series of beta trials with partners like Welch’s® Fruit Snacks, Quigley-Simpson, PHD Media across categories including food and beverage, retail, auto, and electronics, KERV was able to leverage the AAI to optimize specific combinations of audience, inventory, platform, device, browser, and domain to increase overall Active Attention scores by double-digits month over month for campaigns across a variety of verticals.

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• A leading beverage brand ran KERV Element and KERV Immerse creative units. The brand’s AAI scores increased month over month from 69 to 87 and 74 to 87, respectively. For both campaign creative UXs, KERV Interactors Audience (first-party audience segments that previously engaged with the campaign) showed the highest levels of Active Attention. This indicates that users who are highly attentive and engage with the brand messaging during the initial interactive experience are likely to engage more frequently and deeply in subsequent exposures.
• In the auto vertical, the AAI campaign test group exceeded a control test group by at least 2 percent, indicating that AA-focused optimizations drove higher engagement.
• One of the world’s largest suppliers of athletic shoes and apparel was also able to drive tangible business outcomes by optimizing towards Active Attention, improving their overall AAI score by over 10 percent in under a month. This resulted in a 24 percent brand lift among previously unexposed viewers.

“Our goal for this beta campaign was to encourage lean-in engagement with our audience, so partnering with KERV to measure true viewer attention at the creative level was a huge win. Since implementing KERV’s Active Attention Index, we’ve seen a significant lift across several key performance metrics, exceeding industry benchmarks on completion rate and average time spent,” said Michael Scalera, Marketing Director, Welch’s® Fruit Snacks. “In optimizing for Active Attention, we can connect with our audiences in new and engaging ways, sparking curiosity and enhancing our brand’s visibility in this highly competitive landscape.”

In addition to developing the AAI, KERV is also a proud member of the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s Attention Task Force. The Task Force is comprised of key stakeholders from advertising agencies, brands, publishers, ad tech and measurement companies to standardize the measurement of attention across the entire media landscape.

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