CTV ads beat mobile and desktop for viewer attention

CTV ads hold viewers’ attention eight times longer than mobile, on average, and 16 times longer than desktop ads, in line with a recent study using facial tracking on volunteers within the U.S. and Australia.

Ads on CTV achieved 9.7 seconds of “energetic attention” as measured by the study. Mobile ads clocked in 1.2 to 2.4 seconds, depending on how premium the domain was. Mobile users within the study showed higher intent, so mobile ads were higher at driving sales than CTV ads.

The study used facial tracking technology from measurement company Amplified Intelligence.

Why we care. In digital promoting, not all views are equal. Consumers pay more attention depending on the device they use and the environment where the ad appears. Studies that track what catches a viewer’s attention on a busy screen provide an extra layer of knowledge for marketers to think about after they’re budgeting out digital campaigns and approving creative.

Because CTV ads are largely full-screen, this contributes to high energetic attention scores. This study’s findings also suggest that mobile users are more confident making purchases on personal devices. Overall, even after they aren’t paying as much attention as on CTV, they reveal more intent to buy on mobile.

Dig deeper: Why we care about CTV and OTT promoting

Branding is vital. The study found ads that showed the brand during 25% of the ad’s duration drove higher intent. Consumers who saw those ads were 26% to 38% more prone to purchase.

On mobile and desktop, viewers were more attentive to established brands they recognized.

Also, the study measured whether eyes were merely on the screen or focused on the a part of the screen where the ad was, distinguishing energetic attention and passive attention. Established brands made gains in intent from each energetic attention and passive attention. For brands that weren’t well-known, passive attention had trouble moving the needle.

Ad performance on mobile and desktop. Despite not receiving as much energetic attention as CTV, mobile and desktop ads performed higher, depending on the ad format.

Billboard and pre-roll ads performed the most effective on mobile, while skyscraper and pre-roll ads were the top-performing ad formats on desktop.

Methodology. The study used Amplified Intelligence’s attentionTRACE mobile app to trace volunteers’ facial expressions and eye movements. This study included 2,000 consumers within the U.S. and Australia watching over 9,000 ads. Yahoo and OMG served as partners for the study.