A recent report has revealed that augmented reality (AR) advertisements on Snapchat are significantly more effective at capturing the attention of Gen Z users in India compared to other ad formats. The "Attention Advantage" report, a collaborative effort by Snapchat, WPP Media, and Lumen, indicates that Snapchat's AR lenses grab twice the attention of Gen Z compared to conventional social media platforms.
The study, which tracked the eye movements of over 3,000 Indians aged 16-35, found that attention is a far stronger predictor of brand outcomes than traditional metrics like view-through rate (VTR). In fact, attention is eight times better than VTR at predicting brand recall and four times better at improving brand favorability. This suggests that the digital advertising market in India, which is worth ₹50,000 crore, may be focusing on the wrong metrics.
The report introduces a new metric called Attention Per Mille (APM), which captures how many seconds of attention an ad receives for every 1,000 impressions. It also proposes cost per APM as a more accurate way to measure ad efficiency.
One of the key findings of the report is the significant attention gap between Gen Z and millennials. Gen Z users pay up to 34% less attention to digital ads, making them more expensive to reach. The study quantifies this as an "attention tax," requiring 16% higher ad spend to achieve the same level of engagement as with older users. However, Gen Z responds more positively to immersive, opt-in formats such as Snapchat’s AR Lenses. These lenses earned twice the attention of typical digital ad formats and were three times more efficient at capturing active attention.
The report emphasizes that not all attention is equal, categorizing it into levels: under one second aids recall, 3-9 seconds shifts perception, and over 9 seconds shows diminishing returns. This challenges the idea that longer exposure is always better. A mere 5% increase in attention can lead to a twofold improvement in brand perception.
For brands looking to connect with Gen Z in India, the report suggests focusing efforts on platforms where this demographic is most active, such as Snapchat. Adding Snapchat to a media mix can boost attention among Gen Z audiences by up to 22%. The report also advises leveraging effective formats like non-skippable video and AR and optimizing creative execution with authentic, user-generated content, clear branding, and platform-tailored music.
According to Amit Chaubey, Head of Marketing Science, APAC, at Snap, the research provides brands with a playbook to plan for, measure, and turn attention into real business impact. Despite having a low tolerance for unengaging ads, India's Gen Z users wield massive influence, with their collective spending power projected to reach $2 trillion by 2035.
The "Attention Advantage" report signals a re-evaluation of digital advertising, advocating for a new model and a new way forward for targeting Gen Z. As Mike Follett, CEO of Lumen Research, stated, genuine human attention is the single most powerful predictor of business outcomes, and the entire media ecosystem must change to reflect this.
