• by Tony Jarvis , Op-Ed Contributor, March 26, 2025

Day One of the Advertising Research Foundation’s (ARF) Audience x Science Conference in New York City Tuesday delivered fascinating learnings and guidance on media and advertising measurement and metrics by industry leaders.  While covering a broad range of topics, attention, whether from a programming/content or ad perspective, surely dominated.  

Rishad Tobaccowala provided highlights from his new book, “Rethinking Work” in the opening keynote interview with ARF CEO Scott McDonald.  To help us all survive in the ever faster evolving AI (“alien intelligence”) and digital world, it is unequivocally worth reading especially when considering oneself “as a company of one.”

NBCUniversal’s Jorge de la Rosa, Matt Gottlieb and Brian West explained the multiple network, platform and streaming opportunities and values of Olympic coverage and programming for consumers and advertisers.  It was a reminder of the sheer media power and impact of the Olympics and the mere 300-plus days until the Winter Games in Milan/Cortina in 2026.  

Cross-platform and cross-media measurement of viewership and impacts have only increased in scope and complexity since being started by Alan Wurtzel, NBC’s former President of Research & Media Development.  Based on a single CPM across all networks and dayparts and some custom measurement of simulcast events on Peacock by Nielsen this event is ever more compelling.  (And yes, as an Olympian myself, I am truly biased!)  

In a far-reaching interview, Nielsen Chief Data Officer Christine Pierce leaned on extensive international measurement experience to address the integration in the U.S. of Big Data with various Nielsen representative panels as a hybrid ratings solution.  Clearly, Nielsen is proud of its advances with the new PPM (portable people meter) wearable meter and associated app to “follow the consumer.”  

She appeared to echo the measurement workstream of the “Advertising: Who Cares” movement, which recently supported the fundamental requirement and priority of person-based media measurement relative to device-based and/or Big Data metrics.  In terms of “panels first,” she reminded that they are representative of a person’s actual viewing and cross-platform usage both in and out of home; minimize bias; and fulfill the cornerstones of measurement principles.  

However, she noted the goal of optimizing the best of both panel and Big Data sources – despite the volatility of the latter – to provide comprehensive measurement across all TV/video experiences.  

The use of attention measures continues to raise questions, but its relevance and superiority over so-called “viewable impressions” appears undisputed.  So always insist on the definition and derivation when the term “impressions” is used.  

NIQ Vice President Matthew Cottle provided a superb, detailed explanation of the three main levels of “attention:” eyes-on screen or “eyes-captured;” fixations or “visual focus;” and attention processing or “cognitive attention.” 

It’s complicated as there are many different methods, measures and dimensions of attention producing different results which do not necessarily relate to sales, although emotion and memory are relatively the best predictors.  The power of the creative brand message is clear although the context. And the environment of the media vehicle carrying the ad is also important.  

To help us all, the ARF will be revealing Phase III of its “Attention Validation Initiative” at a special event June 5th.  It will review and assess a comparative evaluation of 10 companies measuring attention for the same array of live campaigns running on TV, digital and social media, and will include validation data. 

Do these companies align on passive – active – emotion measurements or is “inattention the key,” per Media Sciences Duane Varan?

It is expected that this Phase III will help the attention arena improve its reliability, validity and transparency while improving practices and audit standards plus help resolve some terminology and definition differences.