Kantar launches attention framework for ads with advanced FCT

Kantar, the world's leading marketing insights and analytics company, today announces the launch of a new proprietary attention framework. Marrying Kantar’s decades of creative evaluation expertise with the latest technology, the approach uses facial coding to uncover how well ad content captures the attention of viewers on a second-by-second basis, an essential tool in marketers’ arsenal. 

Part of the expansion of Kantar’s creative testing portfolio, the new attention framework gives advertisers a summary of an ad’s ability to capture viewers’ attention, comparison to norms, and a second-by-second trace to diagnose where attention is retained and lost. The norms and benchmarks are built using Kantar’s expertise in measuring attention and a database of 50,000 attention ad tests. The attention framework uncovers whether people pay attention to ads in different media contexts and what creative strengths drive attention, giving advertisers the insight they need to optimise their advert to improve its ability to engage viewers. It is available in LINK+ and Context Lab. 

As part of the new framework, Kantar is now deploying significantly improved attention measurement. The upgraded facial coding technology now includes gaze monitoring components making it more accurate than ever before. Advertisers receive measures of both active and passive attention, giving them richer and deeper understanding of how their ads will perform in context. Using privacy-safe methods, the solution measures passive attention - the average time in seconds/percentage where viewers’ eyes are on-screen when the ad was visible, and active attention - the seconds/percentage of time where viewers’ facial expressions indicate emotional engagement with the content. 

Second by second trace illustrating passive & active attention retention during playback]

 

Commenting, Ted Prince, Chief Product Officer, Kantar said: “The race for attention is one of the defining challenges of our time for modern marketers. How to capture the attention of viewers amid myriad distractions is something that keeps many awake at night. At Kantar we are using the latest technology in combination with our decades of expertise to tackle these thorny questions. With digital ad spend continuing to rise, it is key that marketers understand how their creative will perform in digital channels – the era of repurposing a TV ad and hoping for the best is over.”

Fast and flexible digital ad effectiveness testing
 
Building on the initial launch of LINK+, Kantar’s next generation of flexible creative effectiveness testing, Kantar additionally announces the availability of digital ad testing on the LINK+ platform.   Available exclusively on Kantar Marketplace, LINK+ integrates all creative testing dimensions into one flexible solution, helping advertisers iteratively optimise creative at all stages of the development process. 

The addition of digital ad testing to LINK+ builds on the initial availability of early-stage storyboard and TV testing at launch, combining Kantar's more than 15 years of expertise in digital creative testing with the flexibility of the new LINK+ platform. Built using the largest scientifically-based normative creative database in the world with over 250,000 ads, LINK+ provides tailored creative insights and validated creative effectiveness metrics, and is proven to accurately predict an ad’s ability to generate impact and sales. Digital ads with high creative quality are proven to produce up to 2.5x sales uplift compared to those with low creative quality.

Ted Prince continued: “With digital ad spend expected to account for 74% of total ad revenue by 2028  - the new, flexible digital testing capabilities on LINK+ allow marketers to ensure their digital ads will deliver across contexts, with measures that fit the objectives of the given campaign. The addition of digital asset testing to LINK+ makes it easier than ever to customise digital ad testing according to advertisers’ goals and priorities, and to create digital campaigns that meet objectives and deliver sales and brand impact.”