Older TV Viewers Have Stronger Ad 'Attention' Than Younger Viewers
- by Wayne Friedman , February 12, 2020
Older TV viewers continue to pay more attention to TV advertising than their younger counterparts.
TVision, a media analytics company that measures viewability and attention for TV commercials, says viewers 65 years and older have an attention index of 44.1% compared with those under 18 at 32.7%. TV ad viewability was also higher among older TV viewers, at 76.4%, versus those under 18, at 60%.
Viewability and attention increase for viewers in each succeeding age segment -- ages 18-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-54, and 55-65 -- according to the study.
TVision defines "viewability" as how effectively viewers are kept in the room while ads are on-screen -- the percentage of all ad impressions in which a viewer was in the room for two or more seconds.
"Attention" is defined as how effectively an ad held viewers’ attention while it aired -- the percentage of all ad impressions in which the viewer was looking at the TV screen for two or more seconds.
TV viewability/attention varies greatly in terms of network, programming, time period, and advertising creative, according to the study.
In the second half of 2019, top TV commercials in terms of viewability were: Juul, Litter-Robot, Bausch+Lomb, NewDay USA, Grammarly, The RealReal, and Chanel. Score range from 81% to 78%. Top attention TV commercials: Litter-Robot, Chanel, Cosentyx, Apple, Bausch+Lomb, Green Dot, and Cologuard. Scores from 49% to 46%.
Recent top broadcast show in terms viewability where TV commercial air: NBC’s “Perfect Harmony”, followed by NBC’s “Sunnyside”, CW’s “Nancy Drew”, CBS’s “The Code, and CBS’s “Young Sheldon. Top broadcast show in terms of ad attention: CBS “The Code”, CBS’s “Young Sheldon”, NBC’s Perfect Harmony”, CBS” “Bob Hearts Abishola”, and NBC’s “Sunnyside.”
TVision scores come from technology detecting viewers in the room and what their eyes are looking at, without personally identifying individual users. Data was collected from July 1 to December 31, 2019 from 5,000 U.S. homes.
The TVision report, which is based on a form of "eye tracking", confirms what older, more primitive studies have always shown, namely that younger viewers are less likely to be attentive to an average commercial than older ones. The explanation for this is not always clear. It may be a function of the younger person's lessened attention span--which is often seen in program content studies as well. Or younger persons mey simply be more physically active, hence they leave the room as a form of avoidance more often while oldsters are more inclined to stay put. Or young people usually have alternative screens available---like smartphones--- and turn to them when a commercial break appears. Or many TV commercials do not appeal to younger consumers. And maybe, all of these factors, plus others apply. However, and contrary to what some keep saying, the difference in commercial attentiveness per commercial between old and young is not as great as one might assume. In other words, "camera"-style research indicates that young adults do watch a considerable percentage of commercials---just not as many as older viewers. Douglas: take note.