The intersection of sustainability and attention in advertising is crucial, says PubMatic’s regional director ANZ, James Young. Eliminating ads that fail to capture consumers’ attention not only reduces wasted spending but also minimises unnecessary emissions arising from those ineffective impressions.
Let’s explore some strategies advertisers can adopt to enhance digital advertising for both attention and sustainability.
A recent study conducted by dentsu and Microsoft revealed that 77 per cent of consumers aim to invest exclusively in brands practising sustainable advertising by 2026. It is imperative for marketers to accurately measure and work on diminishing the carbon footprint associated with digital advertising campaigns. However, this proves a challenge as assessing the environmental impact of digital ad campaigns remains complex, lacking a standardised or regulated process.
To reduce the carbon footprint of digital advertising campaigns, advertisers and publishers can take immediate steps such as:
- Simplifying tech stacks
- Decreasing the data load of creatives
- Crafting more targeted, relevant, and attention-grabbing content
Move over Viewability, Attention is King!
Historically, marketers have relied on viewability to gauge the quality of impressions, based on the assumption that higher viewability equates to better impression quality. This approach, while fostering growth in the digital advertising economy, has resulted in several negative environmental consequences, such as an oversaturation of ads in apps and on various websites and an uptick of intrusive advertising, as publishers rushed to meet buyers’ viewability demands.
Attention has emerged as a more robust predictor of outcomes, surpassing viewability. Shifting focus from viewability to attention-centric media planning, optimisation, and measurement reduces the number of impressions needed for a given outcome, subsequently lowering the carbon footprint of campaigns.
Five pro tips for creating clutter-cutting ads that command attention
Consumers are increasingly discerning in how they spend their time, and which brands they pay attention to. The key lies in effectively engaging them. The crucial question remains: How can this be achieved through effective digital advertising?
- Ad-to-Content Ratio: As tempting as it can be to include more ads onto a page, a higher number of ads on page diminishes attention, so finding a balance is key.
- Contextual Relevance: Higher attention levels are achieved by placing an ad in an environment closely aligned with the messaging. Buyers can gain greater control over data and targeting based on real-time consumer and contextual data on the sell-side.
- Pace: In the realm of ‘slow media,’ increased engagement with content corresponds to a greater likelihood of engaging with the accompanying advertising.
- Placement: While digital ads positioned above the fold are technically viewable, ads positioned in the body of an article, are more likely to be noticed and engaged with.
- Target Audience: Without emphasis on compelling content, advertising efforts may go unnoticed. Engage with journalists and content creators to create relevant and creative content for your target audience.
Even though technological advancements have enabled improved attention measurement for marketers, there is a need for the planning and buying process to change accordingly, ensuring that advertisers and consumers benefit the most from the most relevant advertising experiences available.
As we witness the evolution of attention measurement, we can anticipate a transformative shift in the landscape of digital advertising specifically within planning, optimisation and measurement. It is key that ad placements not only capture attention and are relevant but continue to deliver substantial value to consumers, brands, and publishers alike. The shift towards attention will result in the industry moving away from the ‘spray and pray’ approach and focusing on sustainability within digital advertising.
