For an online advertising campaign to be effective, it is necessary not only to reach the target audience, but also to capture and maintain its attention.

Indeed, during the Conference presenting the results of the Osservatorio Internet Media Research sponsored by the School of Management of the Politecnico di Milano, held on March 21, a major focus was devoted to the topic of attention metrics.

But have you ever heard of attention metrics? If you are involved in the world of digital advertising, you probably have. Although, according to recent research conducted by the Osservatorio Internet Media on a base of 63 respondents, awareness of these metrics is still relatively low among Italian advertising investors: only 3 percent of respondents know them in depth, 14 percent have sufficient knowledge of them, 50 percent have little knowledge of them, 23 percent have heard of them, and the remaining 10 percent have never heard of them.

This new metric was introduced to overcome the limitations of viewability and measure the real impact that ads have on users.

The two metrics compared: Viewability and Attention

But what is attention and why is it important to move beyond viewability?

Viewability is a measure of whether an ad was viewed on the user's screen. However, this does not necessarily mean that the user actually saw or noticed the ad. Furthermore, this metric, encourages the use of invasive and annoying ads that often lead to a negative user experience. This can lead to increased use of ad-blockers, resulting in reduced ad value.

Attention, on the other hand, is a measure of the amount of attention users pay to a given piece of content. In other words, it is a measure of a content's ability to attract and maintain user attention. This metric takes into account a number of factors, including the time spent on the site, the length of the session, and the depth of the user's interaction with the content.

The same research produced by the Osservatorio Internet Media shows that the various attention detection methodologies are known in depth by only 2 percent of respondents, followed by 14 percent who know enough, 69 percent who know little, and finally 21 percent who know no methodology at all.

Some tips to keep in mind about attention

Here are some tips for not underestimating attention as a metric in your advertising campaigns:

• Use visually engaging ads: create ads that capture users' attention with engaging images and videos. Use bright colors and clear text to grab users' attention.

• Focus on your audience: understand who your users are and create ads that are relevant to them. Personalized advertisements are more likely to capture users' attention than generic ones.

• Use a simple design: avoid creating ads that are too complex or cluttered. A simple, clean design can help keep users' attention focused on the ad.

• Monitor attention span: use analytics tools to monitor users' attention span on your ads. This will help you understand how long users look at your ads and if there are areas that can be improved.

Capture your audience's attention with AdKaora rich media

If you are looking for an effective way to capture and hold the attention of your target audience, the latest generation of high-engagement, high-impact rich media created by AdKaora Creative Studio, our expert mobile user experience team, may be right for you. With their interactive features, unique and customizable assets, and ability to grab and hold users' attention, they help you achieve campaign KPIs that are always above the market average. Contact us today to find out more about our rich media and make the most of the power of attention in your digital advertising.