Move over, AI. Attention is hot, too.
Adelaide, the attention-focused startup, has announced an expanded integration with The Trade Desk. The company has launched a beta test of its attention segments for pre-bid targeting, available to TTD’s customers. Hershey’s is one of the brands participating in this beta test.
Adelaide’s pre-bid targeting segments use a metric called AU (Attention Unit) to predict an ad’s potential effectiveness. AU scores are calculated using a machine learning model that analyzes eye-tracking data, device information, and performance metrics (such as clicks and conversions). Adelaide customers can select from three AU segment levels—high, average, or low—to target audiences on TTD.
In June 2023, Adelaide also made pre-bid attention targeting available through Yahoo DSP.
Why This Matters:
Advertisers are turning to attention data to better understand campaign effectiveness, moving beyond legacy KPIs like viewability, impressions and clicks. Attention is measured using a variety of proxies like eye-tracking, biometric data, tag-based analysis, and AI. Adelaide uses a combination of mechanisms for its attention data.
Broader industry shifts are also driving the interest in attention. Media and content consumption are increasingly fragmented, making attention more valuable. With third-party cookies being (slowly) phased out, new measurement methods are needed. Also, better tech exists to allow for large-scale collection and analysis of attention data.
Experts React:
A month ago, EMARKETER released a report on the adtech attention ecosystem covering the key players in attention and how brands think about and activate their solutions and capabilities.
“Attention metrics get advertisers one step closer to outcomes-based measurement,” reads the report overview. “Applied correctly, attention metrics can elevate strategy across the campaign life cycle….”
The IAB also released an attention measurement toolkit in August to help the market better understand attention — how it’s quantified and assessed, specifically.
Our Take:
Attention is an exciting new metric and dataset, and the ability to optimize for it on a pre-bid basis in DSPs like The Trade Desk and Yahoo will help drive adoption.
However, the attention category can feel fragmented at times and would benefit from clearer standards to further support widespread adoption.
