Augmented Reality Outdoes Other Media Formats for Engagement – Adweek

6 days ago

Editor’s note: Today’s column is part of a series with Snap on augmented reality. Below, Nina Mishkin, director of brand strategy, outlines the findings from a study on AR’s relationship to recall and brand choice.
When it comes to planning, buying and measuring media, all eyes are on attention these days.
While viewability was the flavor of the season when digital display and video were in its early days, marketers and media agencies are looking to identify the proper measure of whether ads are seen in this heavily mobile and connected age. After all, attention puts the consumer at the center—it is literally what every advertiser is seeking from consumers. The growing evidence that attention drives outcomes, whether it is sales or brand building, has the marketing community taking notice.
It’s become apparent that the current metrics to measure media effectiveness, especially digital media, are not up to the mark. Viewability assumes that all impressions have been considered equal regardless of format—whether or not any attention has actually been paid to an ad.
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While this has given the ad industry a minimum threshold for setting CPMs, it has also meant, at times, consumer experience and strategic planning fall to the wayside in the race to the lowest CPMs that meets minimum standards. That means augmented reality, which is already a misunderstood format, doesn’t always get the credit it deserves given its immersive nature.
The nature of attention given to branded AR filters has its own immersive shape. Let’s break it down: Years of research have shown that attention to TV ads are broad but quite deep—a typical 30-second TV ad is noticed by 43% of viewers for around 14 seconds on average, as per Lumen, an attention measurement firm.
The interaction is different when it comes to online videos, as attention paid tends to be broad but short—if ads appear on screen, they will be noticed but only for a second or two.