Q: What role does attention play for publishers?
A: Attention has become a crucial metric in online advertising, offering a more accurate measure of ad effectiveness than traditional metrics like viewability and CTR. Research shows that attention is significantly better at predicting awareness and brand recall, making it a stronger indicator of business outcomes.
Previous metrics defined small ads, placed at the bottom corner of a screen, as ‘viewable’. Clearly, they often go unnoticed. For publishers, attention-based metrics provide a smarter, more meaningful way to measure engagement and success. Focusing on attention allows maximisation of ad performance, improves campaign effectiveness and drives higher revenue.
Q: How does attention affect and benefit publishers?
A: Our data suggests that attention metrics reward high-quality ads and premium placements on high-quality sites. As a result, trustworthy websites with quality content attract loyal audiences and see increased traffic over time.
By leveraging attention insights, publishers can enhance content, optimise layouts and boost user experience, creating a competitive advantage that attracts premium advertising deals and drives audience growth.
Q: What are some ways publishers can use attention metrics to improve their offerings?
A: Publishers can leverage attention metrics in several ways to enhance their ad performance and user experience.
- Reduce clutter for better engagement — By prioritising fewer, high-quality ads, publishers can create a cleaner, more engaging user experience that drives attention and trust.
- Optimise yield with high-attention inventory — Attention data helps publishers identify and prioritise high-performing ad slots when selling direct or programmatic inventory, maximising revenue potential.
- Refine ad pricing — Measuring attention at the campaign level allows publishers to assess which placements deliver the best results. This insight enables them to adjust pricing accordingly for both standard and high impact display ads.
- Enhance reporting & performance insights — Attention metrics add an extra layer to reporting, allowing publishers to gain control and demonstrate the effectiveness of their ad units in a data-driven way.
- Improve site layout — Measuring attention at the site level provides valuable insights into how layout changes can enhance user experience and ad performance, ensuring a more effective and user-friendly design.
Q: What is best practice for publishers when it comes to maximising attention on their platforms?
A: Ads that disrupt browsing or are placed at the bottom of the page tend to go unnoticed. To maximise attention, publishers should prioritise high impact placements and engaging creative formats. Interactive elements and immersive experiences can further enhance dwell time, making ads more engaging and effective.
Video ads, in particular, can be highly effective at driving attention, but only when implemented correctly. They should only autoplay when in view, with the sound muted by default. Videos that start playing off-screen or with loud, unexpected audio frustrate users, leading to poor engagement and weak performance. Such disruptions not only harm user experience but also reduce the ad’s effectiveness for advertisers and publishers alike.
Q: How do different ad formats and site layouts impact attention?
A: Ad formats and site layouts play a critical role in capturing and maintaining attention. Proper ad placement is essential — ads perform best when positioned within the central content zone and as high up the page as possible, where users are naturally focused. Our data also suggests that article pages generate more attention than front pages.
Additionally, formats that are large in size and include animated, interactive elements typically harness the most attention. Publishers can benefit from testing out different formats and offering the best-performing placements for a premium price.
Q: What advice would you give to publishers just starting to use attention metrics?
A: Balancing monetisation with user experience is key. Publishers should test different ad formats (high-impact, video and standard display) to determine what drives the best results without disrupting the user journey. It’s important to explore various options while avoiding intrusive formats that could push users away.
Start simple, experiment with different approaches and use data-driven insights to refine your strategy. A strong user experience not only improves engagement but also enhances revenue potential.
With attention becoming a critical KPI, publishers who optimise their sites now will have a strong competitive advantage as agencies and brands increasingly prioritise attention-driven buying.
Q: What's in the pipeline from Adnami?
A: In 2025, Adnami is enhancing its real-time attention capabilities for planning, reporting and optimisation. A key focus is advanced AI-powered reporting and insights, allowing for better understanding and improved campaign performance.
We’ve already strengthened our platform with a powerful data layer that tracks attention performance on every impression. This enables us to analyse data across creative versions, formats, placements, devices and more — helping predict which impressions will drive the best results.
About us
Adnami is a leading adtech company, empowering brands, agencies and publishers with innovative tools and services for attention-grabbing display ads. Our templated formats allow for the effortless creation of high impact ads, including streamed video solutions. Additionally, Adnami offers a cross-format attention measurement tool that provides deep campaign insights, along with automated campaign optimisation features. By connecting advertisers with premium publishers across the open internet, Adnami simplifies both programmatic and direct ad buying, delivering attention-grabbing campaigns and superior results.
Website: www.adnami.io
Email: alex.barstow@adnami.io
Tel: +45 77 34 10 10
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/adnami
