Nielsen’s cross-media measurement platform, Nielsen ONE, is getting an attention upgrade for the holidays.
Last week, the measurement leader announced the addition of attention data signals and measurement from attention vendor Realeyes. According to the press release announcing the partnership, the pact will help advertisers and agencies “understand what captures and holds audience attention, and the why behind a creative’s performance.”
To evaluate attention, Realeyes uses Its technology to analyze video data from an opt-in panel of users on mobile and desktop devices. The cameras capture facial expressions from the panel, which are then processed through Realeyes’ computer vision for “facial coding.” Essentially, they’re analyzing visual attention and emotional reactions, like smiles, frowns, and expressions of surprise or disgust.
(From what we can tell, this is different from Lumen and other eye-tracking players focused on gaze alone as a proxy for attention. Realeyes analyzes gaze plus emotional responses.)
Why This Matters:
Advertisers increasingly rely on attention metrics to evaluate campaign effectiveness, moving beyond traditional KPIs like impressions, viewability, and click-through rates. Attention captures how audiences actively engage with ads, using tools such as eye-tracking, biometric data, tag-based methods, and AI-driven analysis.
The rise of attention metrics is driven by three main factors: (1) media fragmentation has made capturing consumer focus more critical than ever, (2) conventional metrics often fail to fully reflect an ad’s influence on behavior, and (3) the phasing out of traditional tracking mechanisms has created a demand for alternative performance measures. Advances in technology now make it easier to collect and analyze attention data at scale, fueling its growth.
Studies increasingly link attention metrics to performance outcomes. For example, a TVision and Upwave analysis found a 1:1 correlation between TV viewer attention and brand lift. Similarly, a DoubleVerify study reported a 5% increase in purchase intent for Mondelez after attention metrics were used to evaluate and optimize campaigns.
Experts React:
Mihkel Jäätma, CEO of Realeyes, in the announcement press release, says, ““Attention is a powerful metric to understand resonance and outcomes as consumers demand more personalized, meaningful experiences across modern media platforms. We’re thrilled to be part of Nielsen’s innovation in the creative evaluation space and bring best-in-class insights to the industry at scale.”
Our Take:
Two thoughts here—first, Realeyes has interesting and unique technology. Eye-tracking seems like a baseline for understanding how an end user might react to an ad. Why not go deeper if you’re collecting facial data and get more of a read on emotionality? Realeyes has also been around for some time, meaning the data and AI they have isn’t a flash in the attention pan.
Other thought—Nielsen is working hard to shake the perception of itself as an outdated measurement player. The press release says as much: “This announcement reinforces Nielsen’s track record of innovation and modernization of its measurement and analytics.” Tied to that, earlier this month, Nielsen also announced an integration that brings TikTok campaign data into Nielsen ONE for cross-platform measurement in the U.S. From TikTok to Realeyes, each step helps Nielsen modernize itself for advertisers.
