Eye-Tracking Research in Arabic Language Environments Shows Contextual Ads Outperform Standard Formats in Attention and Recall
Dynamic Placement Optimization (DPO) from Seedtag, the global contextual advertising company, has partnered with OMG, a leading global media agency, for a groundbreaking, industry-first study on ad attention and recall in Arabic-speaking markets. The study was conducted by Lumen Research, an eye-tracking technology company and leader in attention measurement. The findings shed light on the effectiveness of contextual advertising in driving consumer engagement and the importance of creating an attention measurement model tailored to Seedtag and OMG for Arabic-speaking countries.
Key findings of the study:
- Higher attention: Seedtag Arabic formats generated ~3.5x more attention per 1,000 rendered impressions than standard IAB Arabic formats. This increase is a result of Seedtag formats, not factors like device, page context, or audience, as these variables remained the same.
- Attention drives outcomes: The heightened attention generated by Seedtag formats adds value, as heightened attention is significantly correlated (r2=0.75) with driving lifts in brand outcomes: people exposed to Seedtag ads tend to better recall the advertised brand, feel more favorable towards the brands, and have a higher intention to purchase vs. those exposed to standard IAB formats.
- Improved brand perception: Seedtag formats enhance brand perceptions by attracting higher levels of attention, leading to increased viewed time and better comprehension of the ad. This deeper understanding boosts the brand’s overall perception, making it appear significantly more trustworthy.
- A MENA-specific approach: The Lumen research identified statistically significant differences related to attention on Seedtag advertising formats, leading Seedtag and Lumen to develop a measurement model specific to the MENA region and Arabic-speaking countries.
By working with OMG and Lumen Research, Seedtag helped create an attention model for Arabic-speaking markets, which is now available for use by both Seedtag and OMG’s clients to optimize their advertising strategies. The study's findings clearly demonstrate that this newly developed model not only meets but exceeds the performance benchmarks set by standard formats.
To conduct the study, Lumen Research recruited a panel of 450 adult respondents from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and United Arab Emirates (UAE), representative of the general population in the MENA region. The respondents agreed to use their mobile devices as eye-tracking cameras, viewing three webpage environments written in Arabic. These environments featured in-article, in-screen, and in-image ads from OMG’s clients, including Jaguar Land Rover, Eucerin, and Yaqoot by Zain. Both standard IAB formats and Seedtag’s contextual ad formats were tested in the same environment with the same respondents, ensuring a fair comparison by maintaining consistent market, context, and sample conditions. Importantly, the respondents were not informed that the study focused on advertising, allowing for an unbiased assessment of attention and recall.
Mike Follett, CEO of Lumen Research, stated: “Eleven years of eye-tracking studies across the world have shown that the pattern of attention from country to country, at a macro level, remains fairly constant. However, there can be nuances at a format level, and this study with Seedtag and OMG is a great example of how this nuanced data can be leveraged to optimise their campaign performance in Arabic speaking countries.”
Sherry Mansour, Managing Director at Seedtag MENA, stated: “This study marks a significant milestone in our journey to enhance contextual advertising, specifically for Arabic-speaking audiences. By partnering with OMG and utilizing Lumen Research’s eye-tracking technology, we were able to develop and validate our attention model for Arabic-speaking markets, demonstrating that Seedtag’s innovative ad formats not only capture higher attention but also significantly improve brand recall in this key market. These findings underscore our dedication to providing culturally relevant and effective advertising solutions across diverse regions.”
Chris Solomi, Chief Digital Officer, Omnicom Media Group Media, stated: “This will be our third year in row now that we have been investing in primary attention research, started with a landmark MENA first study in 2022, which measured attention benchmarks across all major social platforms as well as IAB Open web formats. This latest study, another first, with Lumen and Seedtag, addressed a major gap in locally analyzed data on Arabic content, capturing attention levels and benchmarks on Arabic Content sites. The objective for us was to try to understand the nuances of Attention on Arabic vs Non-Arabic content sites and to try to understand why that might be. The findings were fascinating and show that while there is a large degree of consistency there were differences and specifically when looking Seedtag’s formats. With the captured data means we, together with our partners Seedtag, now have exclusive access to a more refined and robust attention measurement model for both Arabic and Non-Arabic Ad Content on the Open Web .”