Unlock the Power of Attention: Teads & OMD’s Neuroscience Insights in Latin American Ads

Teads, the global media platform, and OMD, a global leader in media and advertising solutions, have unveiled the results of a pioneering neuroscience study focused on understanding the attention dynamics of video advertising across Latin America. Conducted in March 2023 in partnership with RK Neuroconsulting and Offerwise, this first-of-its-kind study for Teads utilized neuroscience research to discover how the environment of different platforms, including news websites via Teads, and three leading social media platforms, influenced levels of attention in viewers.

Analyzing the attention patterns in a Huggies campaign from more than 1,400 participants across Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico, Teads and OMD unveiled insights aimed at assisting brands in optimizing marketing investments through strategic audience attention capture. While the study analyzed one specific brand in each of these countries, of particular interest are the results of Teads’ collaboration with Kimberly Clark, as that particular study included all of the aforementioned countries in Latin America, differentiating it from studies conducted in individual countries.

At the heart of this project, the research team from Teads and OMD proposed the concept of the “Micro Attentional Moment” a– the fleeting instance when the brain absorbs visual content. Employing advanced eye-tracking software, Teads and OMD were able to gauge the intersection of visual engagement between ads and their contextual surroundings.

In addition to the Micro Attentional Moment, the study also introduced the “Attention Coefficient K,” a metric that measures the quality of attention by distinguishing between focused attention and distractions from the environment, underscoring the pivotal role that attention quality plays in shaping ad recall.

The study also explored the “Attention Loss Factor,” which quantifies the attention an ad loses to its surroundings, as well as “Scroll Speed’, or the speed at which a user scrolls through the content, which directly impacts attention.

Key findings from the study by Teads and OMD discuss:

Platform Variation: The study revealed significant attention variations across platforms, with Teads emerging as the platform with the highest ad recall (74%), compared to 70% for one social media platform, 53% for the second, and 51% for the third. This remarkable ad recall, which is the combination of low scroll speed and High K coefficient, highlights Teads’ efficacy in capturing and retaining user attention amidst different environments.

Importance of Creative Optimization: The study underscored the importance of the value of creative optimization and ensuring that attention is captured on average during the first 2 seconds of an ad. The research indicated that creative optimization directly impacts the campaign’s memorability, with the potential to attract 30% attention to a brand on an ongoing basis.

Understanding attention loss: Remarkably, around 46% of attention is drawn away by the environment, setting the stage for a unique challenge and an equally unique opportunity for advertisers to harness the remaining 54% more effectively. Since the environment significantly affects the presentation of ads, this study also shows the importance of leveraging context to boost campaign performance.

The significance of scroll speed: The dimensions of a mobile phone screen measure approximately 15 cm, while the typical user tends to scroll at a relatively brisk pace of 4.7 cm per second, implying that in a high-scroll speed environment, users tend to miss about one-third of the mobile phone screen. By understanding that a slower scroll speed corresponds to increased engagement with content, Teads was able to achieve a scroll speed of around 2.2 cm per second. Notably, when comparing platforms, Teads and one major social media platform demonstrated similar scroll speeds, with each registering around 2 and 2.2 cm per second, respectively. In contrast, another leading social media platform had a scroll speed of 5.6 while the last platform measured at 6.3—more than two and a half times and nearly three times faster than Teads, respectively. This data emphasizes Teads’ ability to facilitate user interaction through a measured scrolling experience that fosters meaningful content engagement.Cau Stéfani, Research & Insights Manager at Teads Latin America said: “Through this groundbreaking neuroscience study, Teads has made further headway in understanding audience engagement and brand recall. Our exploration of these key metrics has unveiled the intricate interplay between attention quality, creative optimization, and platform dynamics, underscoring the critical role of the initial seconds in capturing viewer attention. This study reaffirms Teads’ commitment to pioneering research that transforms the way we approach advertising, ensuring that every interaction resonates with lasting impact.”

Juan Fernando Niño, CEO OMD, LATAM said: “This OMD initiative to more deeply understand the role of Attention in the planning process reflects the interest that we as an agency have in evolving the metrics and incorporating new methods that really establish solid performance parameters in today’s complex media ecosystem. The exposure time, the quality of the content, the relevance of the message, and the willingness of the consumer to give their attention are a complex equation that requires in-depth research and understanding and that is why we are carrying out these studies”

Of note, the data also found a robust correlation between scroll speed and the Attention Coefficient K, illustrating that slower scroll speeds (averaging four centimeters per second) are synonymous with higher attention quality, and consequently, enhanced brand recall.

Sergio Valcarcel, LAO Intelligence Hub Director of Kimberly-Clark said: “We are very excited to join this journey of discovery regarding Attention and want to learn to address it in the best way. At Kimberly-Clark, we are focused on developing innovative solutions to satisfy the needs of our consumers in the world. Advancing the company’s internal processes, by interpreting the forms of consumption, allows us to give life to our purpose of offering better care. That’s why we are always analyzing trends and incorporating them to evolve.”

Teads is at the forefront of innovating the advertising space, pioneering attention with their revolutionary research, measurement, and creative optimization solutions. Their approach, rooted in attention-based strategies, offers brands and publishers a unique advantage by deeply understanding audience engagement and tailoring content to maximize impact. In a landscape where capturing audience attention is paramount, Teads’ cutting-edge solutions promise a transformative approach to creating resonating and effective advertising content.

For the next revolutionary findings on Attention, download on the study.