Latest news with #AmitChaubey
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Navigating the New Gaze: What waning attention means for brands in India
By Amit Chaubey, We live in a hyper-connected, yet increasingly fragmented digital landscape, with a challenge greater than merely reaching the audiences looming before us - earning and sustaining their attention. For Gen Z in India, a demographic that's projected to wield $2 trillion in spending power by 2035, earning their attention is difficult, shaped by fast paced lifestyle and endless scrolling. It's time brands recognize that this isn't just a marketing nuance — it's the new battleground for growth and lasting relevance with digital natives. The traditional playbook, revolving around old-school metrics like impressions and view-through rates, no longer captures the full picture. This shift emphasizes why the pivot to attention-based measurement is an important ballgame in the landscape. The Shifting Sands of Attention We are currently in the middle of an Attention Flux, where human attention has risen to become the most potent predictor of business growth and brand impact. Understanding attention economics is only the beginning - successful brands must develop sophisticated strategies for earning quality engagement. Platform selection is critical, as not all digital environments perform equally. The attention study, which tracked more than 3,000 respondents across India, reveals a counterintuitive truth - platforms designed for fleeting moments like disappearing Stories, retain focus 2x longer than feed-based rivals. Format strategy proves to be equally important. While non-skippable formats generally capture more attention, some skippable formats can be more than twice as effective in capturing voluntary, active attention. When consumers choose to engage despite having the option to skip, that voluntary attention becomes far more valuable. Every consumer scrolls differently – they shift fluidly between formats and platforms, which has positioned multi-format advertising strategies to not just be valuable, but essential. Gen Z isn't just passively consuming content; they're actively engaging, curating, and influencing; and with their presence spread across various touchpoints in their journey, it has become impossible for brands to solely rely on a single-format approach. A comprehensive cross-format approach allows marketers to reach Gen Z where they are in the moment. Emerging formats like Augmented Reality Lens activations, in-scroll ads, and even Snap's recent innovation- 'Sponsored Snaps' are built to precisely bridge this gap to enable co-creation over mere consumption. Creative execution seals the deal. Understanding Gen Z's preferences for visual expression is crucial. Nearly 80% rely on images, GIFs, and immersive visuals to connect with their inner circle, while 77% find augmented reality and interactive visuals more engaging than traditional formats. They are 'shopcializing' - sharing shopping experiences with close friends via photos or video calls, creating seamless online-offline experiences. This dynamic demands a nuanced understanding of how attention operates. Think of it as a spectrum: a fleeting glance (under 1 second) might plant your brand's flag, a three-second pause pitches your tent, but stay too long (9+ seconds) and you might be overstaying your welcome. The goal is quality, not just quantity, and we often overlook this important aspect. India's moment in the Attention Spotlight India stands at a unique inflection point in this global attention flux. With the world's largest Gen Z population, a cohort that buys as frequently as millennials but is 1.5x more likely to research purchases, Indian brands have an unparalleled opportunity to lead the global conversation on attention-based brand building. However, there's a striking disconnect: while 45% of Indian businesses acknowledge Gen Z's potential, only 15% have actively leveraged these insights, suggesting the massive untapped potential with a cohort that is set to influence the future of spending in India. The competitive advantage for those who act is clear. Research demonstrates that incorporating attention-optimized platforms into a media mix can boost Gen Z engagement by 22%. This transformation demands a complete reimagining of how brands approach consumer relationships in an attention-scarce environment. Traditional measures must give way to attention-based metrics that truly predict business outcomes. Quality engagement trumps quantity every time. The future belongs to the brave - ones who are prepared to abandon yesterday's playbook. This is not about chasing Gen Z, but about letting them pull us into their world, one intentional, engaging interaction at a time. After all, in an economy where attention is both currency and compass, the brands that listen hardest and pull up their socks the fastest will not lead the longest but redefine the very essence of brand relevance and what it means to thrive in the digital age. ( The author is head of marketing science, APAC, Snap Inc. Views expressed are personal )
Time of India
4 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Attention-based measures outperform traditional ad metrics in driving impact among Gen Z: Snap Study
Academy Empower your mind, elevate your skills As Indian advertisers face growing pressure to demonstrate returns on digital ad spends, traditional metrics such as impressions and view-through rates (VTR) may no longer be sufficient, especially when targeting younger, mobile-first audiences, according to a new report, ' Attention Advantage ', jointly conducted by ephemeral messaging app Snapchat, media agency WPP Media, and attention analytics firm Lumen, found that attention is eight times more effective than VTR at predicting brand recall and four times better at predicting brand measures the percentage of users who watched a video ad to completion after it began study used webcam-enabled eye-tracking technology to analyse how 3,200 users in India aged between 18 and 35 engaged with ads across platforms, including Snapchat, YouTube, and other social and video-sharing also introduced two attention-focused metrics: attention per mille (APM), which measures total attentive seconds per 1,000 impressions, and attention cost per mille (aCPM), measuring the cost of buying 1,000 seconds of attention.'The assumption that just because people have the opportunity to see an ad means they'll actually look at it doesn't hold true. People are very good at ignoring advertising across all media,' said Mike Follett, CEO of Lumen Research. 'Advertisers sometimes think that just because they've bought an impression, they've made an impression. This study shows there's a gap between the two—and it's a gap you can quantify.'The study found that formats such as Snapchat's augmented reality (AR) lenses generated up to 5,900 seconds of attention per 1,000 impressions, compared to 761 seconds for standard in-feed video ads. Non-skippable video also performed better than skippable formats, though at higher report also noted that Snapchat captured twice as much attention as other conventional digital Snapchat, which is looking to expand its share of ad spends in a competitive market alongside platforms such as Instagram and YouTube, the study offers a way to guide advertisers on improving campaign execution.'From Snap's perspective, we look to help advertisers improve execution on the platform to earn more attention,' said Amit Chaubey, head of marketing science, Snap Inc. Asia Pacific. 'That's the playbook we're taking to advertisers, on format mixes like immersive video and AR, and on creative elements that drive better outcomes. We want them to see measurable improvements in their business performance.'Snap currently reports over 250 million monthly users, of which 70% are Gen study also highlighted a significant attention gap between Gen Z and millennials. Gen Z users were found to pay up to 34% less attention to digital ads, making them more expensive to reach. The study quantified this as an 'attention tax' of 16% higher ad spend to achieve the same level of engagement as with older to Amin Lakhani, president, client solutions at WPP Media South Asia, while some clients are already beginning to ask about attention-led planning, broader industry adoption in India is still in the early stages.'Not all clients are agnostic about the attention planning principle, many have been asking us about it for quite some time,' said Lakhani. 'But the level of attention and involvement we need from clients is still a significant way to go.'
Mint
4 days ago
- Business
- Mint
‘VTR is Dead': India's largest digital ad study says attention is the real currency
Mumbai: India's digital advertising market may be booming, worth ₹50,000 crore, but according to new research, much of that money may be chasing the wrong metric. A landmark study by Snap Inc., WPP Media and Lumen Research, India's largest of its kind, found that attention, not impressions or view-through rate (VTR), is the real driver of brand outcomes, particularly among the country's 377 million-strong Gen Z audience. For years, digital advertisers have assumed that if an ad is viewable, it must be effective. But the study tracked the real eye movement of over 3,000 Indians aged 16–35 and found otherwise. The findings were clear: attention is eight times better than VTR at predicting brand recall, and four times better at improving favourability. Even small gains make a big difference, a 5% increase in attention delivered a 12.5% lift in favourability. But not all attention is equal. The study categorizes attention into—under 1 second: helps recall; 3-9 seconds: shifts perception; and over 9 seconds: diminishing returnsThis insight challenges the long-held belief that longer exposure is always better. The research also highlights a generational divide: Gen Z pays 34% less attention to ads on conventional social platforms than millennials and 10% less to digital video overall. But there's a twist. Gen Z responds more positively to immersive, opt-in formats. Snapchat's AR Lenses, for instance, earned twice the attention of typical digital ad formats and were three times more efficient at capturing active attention. 'This research doesn't just prove that attention matters," said Amit Chaubey, head of Marketing Science, APAC, at Snap. 'It gives brands a playbook to plan for it, measure it, and turn it into real business impact." The study introduced a new metric: Attention per Mille (APM) or the total seconds of human attention per 1,000 impressions. It also proposes cost per APM as a more accurate way to measure ad efficiency. Despite a higher Cost per Mille (CPM), Snap Lenses delivered both the highest APM and the lowest cost per APM, beating YouTube skippable and Facebook in-feed formats. 'Genuine human attention is the single most powerful predictor of business outcomes," said Mike Follett, chief executive officer (CEO) of Lumen Research. 'It's time the entire media ecosystem caught up." The study also offers a framework to drive attention: platform: go where people are more engaged, format: skippable formats like AR lenses beat non-skippable ones, and creative: UGC-style, music-led, and persistently branded creatives perform best. 'By moving beyond legacy metrics and focusing on genuine attention, we can build more effective and efficient media plans," Amin Lakhani, CEO, WPP Media South Asia, said.
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Business Standard
5 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Gen Z in India less attentive to digital ads than millennials: Report
India's Gen Z population, estimated at 377 million and projected to have $2 trillion in spending power by 2035, shows lower interest and attention for advertising on traditional digital platforms compared to millennials, according to a report titled Attention Advantage. Gen Z — typically referring to those born between 1996 and 2010 — pays about 34 per cent less attention to advertisements on social media platforms compared to millennials. Similarly, Gen Z pays about 10 per cent less attention to digital video advertisements, the joint report by Snapchat, WPP Media, and audience attention-measurement firm Lumen Research found. The study surveyed 3,000 Indian respondents. 'People generally are very good at paying a limited amount of attention to advertising,' said Amit Chaubey, head of marketing science, Asia-Pacific, Snap Inc., in an interview with Business Standard. 'This becomes even starker with Gen Z. Today, Gen Z are better at avoiding advertising than any other generation.' In 2024, users in India spent an average of five hours a day on mobile screens, with nearly 70 per cent of that time devoted to social media, gaming, and video consumption, according to the FICCI–EY report released earlier this year. With India's digital reach growing rapidly, brands and advertisers face mounting pressure to capture and retain user attention in a fragmented digital space. With Gen Z making up 70 per cent of Snapchat's audience, Chaubey said the report indicated that immersive full-screen mobile video and augmented reality (AR) formats significantly increased attention from this cohort. The report also found that a 5 per cent increase in audience attention can lead to up to twice the gains in brand perception. Mike Follett, chief executive officer, Lumen Research, said immersive experiences tend to resonate more with Gen Z as they feel more relatable and authentic. 'Our research identifies the winning formulas on platforms like Snapchat, where the immersive nature of the experience drives attention levels that are twice as high as on traditional platforms. The pinnacle of this is AR, where formats like Lenses create such a compelling, voluntary experience that they are over twice as effective at capturing meaningful attention,' Follett said. Amin Lakhani, president, client solutions, WPP Media South Asia, noted that clients increasingly demand accountability and clear returns on their digital advertising investments amid multiple content formats vying for consumer attention. 'But there is an increasing gap we are seeing. As consumers are exposed to huge volumes of content, it causes significant clutter. Through this report, we are trying to leverage technology, research, and planning sciences to find that sweet spot, enabling us to engage with consumers far more effectively,' he said.
Indian Express
5 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Snapchat captures 2X more attention from Gen Z users in India with AR ads, report finds
Ads on Snapchat capture two times more attention from Gen Z users in India than conventional social media platforms, which receive 34 per cent less attention from users in the same category. The key driver of Gen Z user attention on Snapchat is its AR Lenses feature, which is essentially a camera effect that adds AI-generated, augmented reality (AR) elements to photos in real-time. 'Despite being skippable, Lenses are >2X more effective and 3X more efficient in capturing voluntary, active attention than any other format,' parent company Snap said in a press release on Thursday, August 7. Adding Snapchat to a media mix can boost attention among Gen Z audiences by up to 22 per cent, it further said. The company also shared findings from a report about multi-platform attention in India that has been jointly released with adtech company Lumen and global media agency WPP Media. Defining attention as the time during which a person's eyes are truly on an ad, the report titled ''Attention Advantage' found that attention and brand outcomes are clearly linked. 'The findings introduce a re-evaluation of digital advertising with a new metric, a new model, and a new way forward for targeting Gen Z,' Snap said. Despite having a notoriously low tolerance for advertising that doesn't capture their interest and attention, Gen Z users in India cannot be ignored as they are estimated to have a collective spending power that is projected to hit $2 trillion by 2035. 'In today's digital landscape, attention is no longer a nice-to-have, it's one of the most critical measures of advertising effectiveness. Yet, it's often been overlooked. With Attention Advantage, we set out to change that conversation. This research doesn't only just show that attention matters, it gives brands a practical playbook to plan for it, measure it, and turn it into real business impact,' Amit Chaubey, Head of Marketing Science, Snap Inc. APAC, said in a statement. The report was drafted with inputs from over 3,000 Indian Gen Z users whose visual attention to ads was measured using Lumen's proprietary technology. The ads were shown across major digital platforms, with FMCG, auto, quick service, restaurant, and fashion brands running ads from a single campaign in a 'controlled sandbox'. The report found that a mere 5 per increase in attention can lead to up to two times more gains in terms of brand perception. It also said that attention is eight times better than View-Through Rate (VTR) at estimating brand recall and four times better at predicting brand favourability. VTR is a digital advertising metric used to convey the percentage of users who watch a video ad to completion after being shown the ad. All types of attention are not equal in delivering brand outcomes, as per the report. 'Light attention (less than one second) builds brand recall, but sustained attention (more than three seconds ) is required for deeper connections. However, gains diminish after nine seconds, proving more isn't always better,' it read. The report also introduced a new digital advertising metric called Attention Per Mille (APM) that captures how many seconds of attention an ad receives for every 1000 impressions. The cost per APM measures the true cost-efficiency of gaining quality attention. Snap outlined the following three strategies for brands looking to attract more attention from Gen Z users in India: – Focus efforts on platforms where your audience is most active and engaged as not all channels yield equal returns. – Combine Non-Skippable Videos with Augmented Reality to maximise both attention and interaction – Design creatives in authentic, user-generated content (UGC) styles to boost reliability and trust among Gen Z users.
