Linking human attention to mental availability
OMD USA
21 June 2022

There is a direct relationship between mental availability (sometimes defined as brand salience) and active attention, according to a new study from Amplified Intelligence published on WARC, led by Professor Karen Nelson-Field, CEO and founder of Amplified Intelligence and Chrissie Hanson, Global Chief Strategy Officer, OMD Worldwide.

OMD Worldwide partnered with the measurement company in carrying out research to understand the link between the two and this report shares the early findings: in a US study, 600 people viewed over 3,300 impressions of 12 brands across three categories on three online video platforms.

Click here to read the report.

Why it matters

Mental availability is a metric that is closely related to market share growth and decline, and is a metric that is widely accepted by marketers as an indicator of brand strength. The early findings of the study – the first in a series – will interest any brand that measures ad impact against both short- and long-term metrics.

Key takeaways

  • Increases in attention give a brand some chance of market share growth, while decreases in attention will likely impart brand decline.
  • Across all groups and brands, there is an average 6pp difference between the mental availability uplift of exposed versus non-exposed.
  • Low-attention platforms and formats do not contribute to mental availability in the same way as high-attention platforms. Platforms and formats that deliver more active attention seconds drive better long-term outcomes.
  • When attention is fleeting, distinctive branding becomes even more important.
  • Attention to advertising is hard to earn, but when you earn it, your brand will grow.
"Attention drives sales and mental availability. Make sure this attention works for you (and not your competitor)".

The full report of the early findings is available on WARC for subscribers here and the fully accessible version is available here.

Stay tuned for more insights to come!

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