Can attention measurement prove its worth or slip into vanity status?

New Delhi: As attention metrics rapidly climb the priority ladder in adland, backed by adtech giants and industry bodies, a deeper debate is surfacing: Is this the future of media effectiveness or just hype in disguise?

While players like DoubleVerify and IAS have begun tracking attention on platforms like Snap, and the IAB, along with the MRC, have issued draft standards to formalise its use, marketers are asking a harder question: Is attention the new ROI driver or just repackaged hype?

From the outside, it may look like the advertising world is finally shifting from vanity to value, moving past outdated metrics like impressions and viewability toward something that actually signals human engagement. But dig deeper, and the picture is more nuanced.

Today, bots can do it all, from serving impressions and clicking ads to completing app installs and sign-ups. These are considered hard performance metrics, yet remain highly vulnerable to manipulation. Attention, by contrast, is even more abstract and equally susceptible to spoofing if not grounded in verified, human-led data.

Dhiraj Gupta, co-founder & CTO of mFilterIt, explained, “Impressions, clicks, app installs and even sign-ups are considered hard performance metrics, yet they remain vulnerable to manipulation. Attention, by contrast, is far more abstract and even less immune to spoofing."

He emphasised that while the shift from vanity metrics like impressions to attention signals may appear progressive, it’s not a substitute for bottom-of-the-funnel analysis. “Real business impact lies in metrics like conversion quality, retention rates, and lifetime value. Until attention metrics are validated against verified, human-led activity and linked to tangible outcomes, they risk becoming yet another layer of vanity. Marketers must focus on understanding actual user behaviour, not just surface-level engagement."

However, Arjit Sachdeva, Co-founder and CTO of VDO.AI, argued that attention is not just a dashboard metric; it's becoming the foundation for smarter, more results-oriented media. “We’re now at a point where the industry is collectively asking better questions: Did someone actually watch this? Did it resonate? That’s where attention metrics come in.”

According to VDO.AI’s latest Publisher Profitability Report, ads optimised for user attention consistently outperform traditional formats. “Metrics like viewer engagement and attention levels aren’t just indicators; they’re reshaping monetisation strategies,” said Sachdeva. 

He credits the rise of AI-driven contextual targeting powered by first-party data as a key driver behind improved user acceptance and deeper engagement.

But for attention to become true currency, Sachdeva emphasised three conditions: trust, transparency, and consistency, all of which are finally taking shape with institutional backing from the IAB and MRC.

“Agencies are integrating attention data into media planning. Publishers are using it to audit inventory,” he said. 

Sachdeva highlighted that advertisers are already paying a premium for verified attention. And some already are. “They’re realising that attention-rich placements don’t just look good on a dashboard; they drive real outcomes. For us, attention isn’t just a buzzword or pitch-deck metric; it’s the natural evolution of performance marketing. Verified attention signals quality, not just quantity. Brands that prioritise it now will be the ones shaping the next chapter of digital advertising.”

According to insights from AdLift, traditional metrics like impressions and clicks often fail to correlate with business growth. Prashant Puri, Co-Founder & CEO of AdLift, said, “Attention metrics are beginning to show a clearer link between ad spend and actual impact, with early case studies revealing higher brand lift and better cost efficiency.

CFOs may have once dismissed attention as pitch-deck fluff, but with growing pressure on marketing spends to deliver real-world results, attention is emerging as a more finance-friendly metric than previously imagined.

Still, the hype has its risks. As one expert warned, “You can’t build an ad model on top of 10–15 shows or a handful of data points. You need scale in content, users, and outcomes. Otherwise, attention becomes just another KPI in disguise.”

For the record, IAS and DoubleVerify have launched separate attention-based measurement solutions for Snapchat, helping advertisers assess viewability, audibility, screen presence, and engagement for Snapchat ads. Both firms are using eyes-on-screen data from Lumen Research, signalling a shift in the industry toward moving beyond conventional metrics like impressions and click-through rates.

For attention to be more than a trendy stand-in for engagement, marketers must link it directly to actions and outcomes. Until verified attention consistently translates to conversions, retention, and lifetime value, the metric risks collapsing under its own buzz.

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and Media Rating Council (MRC) have introduced draft guidelines to bring consistency to attention measurement across media platforms. Open for public feedback until July 12, 2025, the proposal aims to move beyond standard viewability metrics by setting a unified framework for how attention is tracked and reported.

Attention measurement must evolve from surface-level signals to auditable, actionable, and accountable metrics. Only then will attention earn its place not just on the dashboard, but in the boardroom. Until then, marketers would be wise to look beyond the scroll and focus on what really matters: who’s watching, why, and what happens next.