New Pepsi Research Finds Brand Size Shapes How Passive & Active Attention Drives Outcomes

Amplified Intelligence, the most trusted source for accurate attention measurement, has announced its new partnership with PepsiCo Europe and shared joint research results, revealing that short-term uplift is harder won for larger brands and only 42% of all eyes-on-brand moments during ads in the test were actively viewed, highlighting the need for in-depth attention data to steer better advertising strategy. 

The partnership brings Amplified Intelligence’s unique human-first data collection approach to Poland: one of the largest markets in Europe. It also signifies Pepsi’s first step in a long-term plan to adopt attention-led metrics that help pinpoint how real audiences interact with ads and lead to outcomes, and reduce reliance on imprecise proxies; with granular insight guiding more impactful campaigns. 

By gathering data from over 1,000 individuals and more than 2,300 ads, the study analysed active, passive, and non-attention by the second and how often audiences moved between different types of attention. Amplified Intelligence’s smart eye-tracking and facial detection technology collected data across four live social platforms, with ad effectiveness gauged by assessing the behaviour of participating users in a virtual store, versus a group that hadn't seen the ads. 

Early results from multi-campaign testing have provided rich insights around ad performance for PepsiCo Europe, as well as broader trends. Key takeaways include: 

• Brand size plays a significant role in the relationship between attention and outcomes: While small and large brands both see increases in short-term brand choice per active and passive attention second, the size of the brand affects the value of each to outcomes. In this study, smaller players saw four times more uplift than their larger counterparts per active attention second, while big brands received significantly more value per passive attention second than small brands. This quantifies that existing brand salience can play a role in the type of attention required from a consumer to nudge a sale.

• Eyes-on-ad attention is vital to outcomes: In all studies Amplified Intelligence considers eyes-on-brand attention, a metric that refers to calculating active attention to the precise moment the brand is present, such as displaying logos or products. This metric is one of the most significantly related to outcomes.

In this study, while Pepsi performed well with the frequency and entry timing of branding better than typical creative across all ads in the study, only 42% of branded moments were seen actively, suggesting that full immersion at key branded moments is generally low. This is even more problematic for brands advertising on fast-scrolling platforms, where not only will fewer branded moments be seen actively due to distraction, but the percentage of those who do eyeball the brand in later moments in the ad is extremely low. 

“This research is another leap forward in proving why accurate and deep understanding of human attention is critical, noting that how humans view – not simply how long they view or the probability of viewing – is extremely important to outcomes.” comments Karen Nelson-Field, founder and CEO of Amplified Intelligence. “Pepsi is one of the major forces striving to ensure its decisions are informed by granular attention data and we’re proud to be working together. These insights around the impact of brand size and the precious nature of branded moments will not only help Pepsi develop smarter strategies, but may also serve as a station base for broader organisations looking to enhance their online ads using more reliable performance metrics.”

Marina Lokteva, media strategy lead, PepsiCo Europe: “We’re determined to break free from traditional digital media measurement. As part of this study, we wanted to look beyond simply assessing ‘why social platforms work best’ and dig into the finer details that have implications for our whole advertising approach: particularly exploring how current market share and brand placement affect campaign outcomes. The resulting data has more than met our expectations.”

Anna Dzierzędzka, media & TCP director, CE PepsiCo adds: ”This work provides a valuable window into real human attention, and has set us on the right path to truly understanding audience interaction and how different patterns impact advertising effectiveness. We look forward to putting insights into action as part of our ongoing partnership.”