Read all about it: how advertisers can seize attention on the open internet

Katie Secret, corporate vice-president and global head of marketing at Onyx by Outbrain, says that’s because advertisers aren’t measuring campaigns effectively – and they’re missing out on high-value consumer moments across the open internet.

So, how can brands turn this hidden gem into a goldmine? The Drum sat down with Secret and Marc Guldimann, chief executive officer at Adelaide, in Cannes, to find out. Watch here now.

Rethinking brand safety

Brand safety has been a concern for advertisers in news environments. And the online ad industry’s subsequent safeguarding tools have been so stringent that they’ve precluded advertisers from accessing audiences of premium, brand-safe news content.

That approach is now evolving. “Brands previously looked at their safety in a very binary way, via keyword blocking or category blocking,” Secret explains. “Now, we’re seeing a more holistic approach. Advertising platforms have been pivotal in helping brands understand that there’s a lot more to understanding the sentiment of someone interacting with their brand.”

This nuanced approach is now allowing brands to capitalize on attentive moments across the open internet. And that’s bringing more focus onto attention, as opposed to attribution, measurement metrics.

Attention metrics - redefining marketing effectiveness

In today’s marketing landscape, advertisers under pressure to prove their value to the business are wising up to the limitations of measuring advertising campaigns purely against cost, reach and efficiency metrics, which can allow lesser-quality audiences to infiltrate ad buys.

“This shift in metrics allows brands to focus on high-attention moments, ultimately driving better outcomes such as increased brand lift and foot traffic. Attention is not just a metric, but it’s a way of thinking about marketing effectiveness,” says Secret.

Emphasizing the decline of traditional identity-driven metrics, Guldimann agrees: “For a long time, advertisers made up for a lack of media quality by using attribution. With the decline of the cookie, advertisers are refocusing on what media quality actually is.“Attention metrics ensure all of your investment and planning about who you want to reach actually matters, because you’re reaching them in a high-quality environment.”

Uncovering quality media opportunities

The new lens on media quality is unearthing a playing field of open internet audiences who are in the consideration phase, looking to inform themselves as they contemplate their choices. Four in five advertisers, agencies and publishers agree these audiences are high value, given their affluence, education levels, and purchasing power.

Attention metrics are the key to finding these audiences and to finding “undervalued and underfunded environments,” our panel agrees. Supported by cross-funnel partners and new technologies, these metrics are enabling brands to tap into high-value audience moments on reputable media outlets.

Turning a new page – practical advice for advertisers

Both Secret and Guldimann agree that now is the time for advertisers to embrace attention metrics and the opportunities of the open internet.

“Advertisers need to educate themselves on all of the different things that attention can contribute to their marketing strategy,” Secret advises.

Guldimann adds: “Don’t wait for standardization. Test out newer metrics today and prove that using attention metrics drives better outcomes.”

Catch up on the full panel discussion, ‘Stop press: how advertisers can seize the open internet opportunity’ here on The Drum TV.