Our attention is one of our most powerful assets. Yet like most assets that are misunderstood, attention is very often abused. Every day, external sources prey on the most ancient and instinctive parts of our brain with strong emotional triggers and then tell us a story. As the source of the story, they become the source of the resolution, ensuring you always come back looking for a way to feel better. By understanding how attention works, you can take back your power, and use it to make progress towards your goals.

Where’s a good starting point? With the people whose job it is to understand and measure attention at scale: The Interactive Advertising Bureau. In their Attention Measurement Guidelines, the IAB provides “a comprehensive set of guidelines for measuring attention across various media channels and environments” with a focus on: 

• Data signal-based tracking
• Visual tracking
• Physiological and neurological observations
• Panel and survey-based methodologies

When the IAB talks about measurement, they are referring to the exposure, engagement, focus, and cognitive impact measured.” 

What is data signal-based tracking?

The IAB identifies four main ways of measuring attention. The first primary method is data signals. These data signals come from “devices, ad placements, and publisher metadata.” These data signals measure your exposure to specific ads and pieces of content, and how you interact with video and audio. 

There are two main categories of data signals: 

• Device and ad interaction signals
• Publisher metadata

What are device and ad interaction signals?

Device and ad interaction signals include:

• Time-in-view 
• Audible time 
• Audible time at different volume levels
• Audible time with captions
• Scroll depth
• Click-through rates
• Interaction patterns such as hovers and pauses

What are examples of publisher metadata?

Examples of publisher metadata are: 

• The context of an ad’s placement such as the specific site, app, videos or OOH screen/asset

What is visual tracking?

The second principal way of measuring attention is visual tracking. This includes “eye tracking, gaze tracking, facial coding, presence monitoring, and audio signal analysis.” 

What are examples of eye tracking and facial coding?

Eye tracking and facial coding methods measure:

• Where you’re looking
• How long you’re looking at a specific element
• How your gaze moves across a screen
• Micro-expressions
• Emotional responses

There are also presence monitoring tools, which help you track the movements of people within a space, so you can measure attention in shared environments.

What is physiological and neurological observation?

This approach tracks physiological and neurological responses including “heart rate, blood pressure, and brain waves.” They help organizations understand the “cognitive and emotional aspects of attention.” 

What are examples of physiological and neurological observation?

Types of physiological data you can collect include:

• Heart rate
• Blood pressure
• Skin conductance

Types of neurological data you can collect include:

• Brain wave activity

What are panel and survey-based methods?

This approach measures attention using “self-reported data…focus groups, and ad effectiveness surveys.” 

What are examples of panel and survey-based methods?

Panel and survey based methods include:

• Measurement panels
• Brand health studies
• Focus groups
• Ad effectiveness surveys

Predictive models: The combined results of the four main attention measurements

All of these measurement methods come together to create a predictive model of attention.