In this deep dive article, we will firstly explain what our Attention metrics are, and then show how to add them to a report.

 

1. What are the Available Attention Metrics in Releasd?

There are two Attention-based metrics that can be displayed in a Summary Metrics widget:

  • Attention Earned (in hours)
If you are asked "How much attention did our online coverage achieve?", then Attention Earned provides the answer. For example "16k hours".
  • Attention Cost Equivalency, or ACE (in £, $ or €)
If you are asked "How much media spend would we need to capture the same amount of attention via ads?", then ACE provides the answer. For example "£38k" or "$45k".

 

 

In this section, we'll explain what these metrics are, how they are generated, and why they are useful for PRs looking to demonstrate the value of their work.

An Introduction to our Attention Metrics
Firstly, I’d like you to put AVE out of your mind when reading this. 
Even though we are going to talk about ads - this is different.
Ever since the advent of digital advertising, the industry has relied upon an impressions-based model to price up their ads. In other words, they charge based on how many times an ad will appear on screen.
Kind of like charging based on Coverage Views.
The trouble is, one type of ad might appear 1,000 times and receive an abundance of attention, whilst another might not even get a glance. Yet both would be priced equally.
Recent breakthroughs in technology have enabled marketers to determine, on average, how much attention different types of ads get.
 


Phone cameras and webcams can be leveraged to accurately track eye movements.
Source: The Challenge of Attention, Ebiquity

Large studies have been conducted in which participants' eye movements are accurately tracked and correlated with ads that appear on screen during normal internet use.
“The technology to measure attention second-by-second already exists”
Source: From Attention to Action, The Attention Council
The result of these studies is that advertisers are starting to offer attention-based pricing for the first time.
Attention is the underlying enabler for advertising and PR
Now, if there is one thing that AVE has taught us, it's that advertising and PR differ in many ways. But it's not controversial to state that both disciplines share a need to grab and hold attention.
So, if there is a unit cost for attention (which there is) and we can estimate how much attention a piece of media coverage gets (which we can), we can calculate how much it would cost to buy the same amount of attention from ads.
Those are the two metrics we are introducing: Attention Earned and Attention Cost Equivalency (ACE).

How is Attention Earned Calculated?

  • It's possible to know the length of online articles added to a report
  • We reference data from third party studies that calculate the average amount of focused attention given to articles of different lengths
  • We already know Coverage Views, and how many pieces of coverage exist in a report
  • Based on this, we can estimate total Attention Earned, in hours
How is Attention Cost Equivalency (ACE) Calculated?
  • We know the total amount of Attention Earned
  • We know the average cost of 1,000 seconds of attention for online ads based on third party studies
  • We use these two components to calculate the cost of ads that would yield the same amount of attention as online media coverage
  • This is the Attention Cost Equivalency (in £, $ or €)
How is Attention Cost Equivalency (ACE) different from Advertising Value Equivalency (AVE)?
  • Unlike AVE, ACE relates to costs only, and does not claim to represent the value of an ad or online article
  • ACE uses a simple, defensible common denominator (attention) rather than an ambiguous one (ad/article dimensions)
  • The cost of attention is based on averages from impartial third party studies. It will evolve and improve over time
  • ACE does not rely on an arbitrary 3x multiplier to beef up the final figure
Why Attention Metrics are Helpful to PRs

"Without attention, there is no possibility of persuasion or influence.
Thus, measurement of attention in PR is critical.”
Jim Macnamara, Professor of Public Communication

Many agencies still ask for AVE, despite knowing it’s discredited. There is an understandable need to provide some kind of commercial metric, and there are no alternatives.  Many in-house PRs ask for data that helps them compete with their advertising counterparts. Until now, there have been no robust options.
Attention Earned and ACE bridge this gap and give PRs more credibility and firepower when trying to prove that their work is making a difference in these contexts.
These metrics also demonstrate the unique power of PR to earn meaningful attention at scale, and to do so with zero media spend.
Time for PRs to get the upper hand in marketing meetings!
 

2. How to add Attention Metrics to a Releasd Report


i) First, add some Online Coverage to your report

Drag on the Online Coverage widget and enter some URLs.

You can learn how to do this here.

ii) Add a Summary Metrics widget to your report

You can find this in the Toolbar. Click to open the widget.

 

 

iii) Select your chosen metrics

Attention Earned is displayed in hours, whereas you can choose from up to three currencies for ACE.

 

 

Click to save the widget. Figures will automatically update as online coverage is added to the report.