Snap Inc. Partners with dentsu Media to Expand Attention Economy Research Across Formats

The dentsu Attention Economy team today announced findings from a new study measuring attention on Snap’s Augmented Reality (AR) Lenses. The study found that Snap’s AR Lenses generate high volumes of attention and impact, with AR Lenses being more immersive than standard commercials, notably garnering 4x more attention than dentsu’s benchmark.  

Snap was a key partner in dentsu’s proprietary 2021 Attention Economy Study, Unlocking the Currency of Attention - one of the largest eye-tracking studies conducted to date. In the initial study, Snap’s vertical videos earned 5x more attention compared to the Social Video norm and had above average viewability rates. Now, as dentsu seeks to expand its Attention Economy research beyond the typical video and display ad formats, the network has partnered with eye-tracking research company Lumen to study attention in Snap’s AR formats. 

The study found that: 

• AR Lenses delivered a depth of engagement that was comparable to TV, one of the highest attention-driving formats measured to date 
• AR Lenses garnered 4x more attention than dentsu’s benchmark 
• On average, less than 10% of people engage with social formats for more than two seconds, whereas more than 80% of people engage with Snap Lenses for at least two seconds 
• High attention paid to Lenses translates to 1.3X brand recall vs. dentsu’s benchmark 
• The Lenses that drove the highest amount of recall were those that had distinctive brand elements and were personally relevant to the audience 
• While usage of Lenses is currently not commonplace, those who do drive deep levels of engagement

This data enables dentsu to understand Snap’s AR attention levels, and its impact relative to its cost, helping teams understand how to plan AR and what role it plays as part of an overall media mix and strategy. The study is a meaningful first as dentsu continues to innovate its proprietary Attention Economy research across formats and screens. 

Joanne Leong, SVP of global partnerships for dentsu Media said, "At dentsu, we know it is imperative to build better attention-based metrics to ultimately fuel more effective media decisions for our clients. This latest study with Snap’s AR products is ground breaking as we start to look at different environments outside of the digital and video formats typically measured in attention studies. These results pave the next path to attention measurement in related spaces such as gaming, Web3.0, and the metaverse - the next foundational block in our open Attention Economy.” 

Gabrielle Delva, manager, global agency development, Snap Inc. said, "With over 250 million Snapchatters engaging with augmented reality every day on average, there is a ton of opportunity for brands to capitalise on the immersiveness of AR to enhance their campaigns and better capture their audience's attention. It’s exciting to see Snapchat’s AR Lenses succeed in grabbing consumers' attention and provide compelling business results for our partners."       

Dentsu’s ongoing Attention Economy research program, the largest in scope and scale of its kind, has defined the true value of attention across channels, platforms, and formats and revolutionised the way the advertising industry plans, measures, and buys media. Visit the Attention Economy website to learn more and download the latest report.