Are you paying enough attention to Attention?

Audiences scroll, skip, and swipe in seconds. Attention is now the most valuable commodity in advertising. It’s a scarce resource that determines whether a brand message lands or gets lost in the noise. Understanding how to capture this attention has become essential for success. This idea took centre stage at a recent Social Samosa webinar hosted by mCanvas x Lumen.

Beyond viewability: Winning ROI with attention-first metrics saw Mike Follett, CEO, Lumen Research and Sonica Sharma, Director of Sales, mCanvas, delve into how brands can make the most of every second their audience spends on an ad.

Kicking off the session, Mike unpacked a simple but powerful truth: “people are very good at ignoring advertising.” This, he explained, is why Lumen uses eye-tracking technology to study real human behavior and reveal what truly captures and sustains attention.

Through his presentation, Mike demonstrated how attention differs greatly across media types and why all impressions are not equal. Drawing on Lumen’s recent studies, he highlighted that mCanvas ads consistently generate higher levels of attention compared to other formats, proving the platform’s ability to engage users in a cluttered digital environment.

He explained how attention data can reshape media planning, helping brands secure a fair share of attention by investing only in placements that people actually see. He also explained how creativity can deliver an unfair share of attention, driving impact beyond expectations.

 In an engaging conversation that followed, Sonica and Mike explored why certain media outperform others in capturing attention, and why mCanvas’s immersive, interactive formats perform exceptionally well. They also delved into whether Indian consumers’ attention patterns mirror those in Western markets, with Mike pointing out some unique cultural nuances that make India an exciting space for attention research.

Participants in the webinar gained actionable insights into how brands can integrate attention data into everyday operations. The use cases range from media planning and measurement to buying and optimization. Marketers were encouraged to look into attention journeys by leveraging tools and metrics that bring transparency and accountability to digital advertising performance.

The webinar wrapped up on a curious and optimistic note: Winning attention isn’t luck. It’s a strategic metric that can make or break your business.