New Canadian Research Estimates Dull Media Costs Advertisers More Than $1.5 Billion Annually
Amplified, in partnership with Cineplex Media, released The Eye-Watering Cost of Dull Media - Canada Edition, a study examining how media environments in Canada shape advertising attention, brand outcomes and media efficiency.
Amplified, in partnership with Cineplex Media, released The Eye-Watering Cost of Dull Media - Canada Edition, a study examining how media environments in Canada shape advertising attention, brand outcomes and media efficiency.
The research estimates $1.52 billion annual media-efficiency penalty associated with dull media in Canada equivalent to approximately 25 cents of additional investment for every dollar spent in lower attention environments to achieve comparable advertising outcomes. Dull media refers to environments that generate low levels of active attention, where ads may be delivered or viewable, but receive little actual human attention.
The study measured 5,400 real ad views across cinema, Facebook and web using biometric attention measurement and modelled approximately 360,000 additional exposures across Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok and Broadcast Video on Demand (BVOD), a form of connected TV viewing. Among directly measured environments, cinema generated the highest active attention, with 72% active attention and an average of 17.5 seconds of active viewing per exposure, compared with 3.2 seconds on Facebook and 0.3 seconds on web.
Key Findings
- Higher attention was associated with stronger brand outcomes. Cinema exposure was linked to stronger brand choice and memory associations compared to Facebook or web.
- Cinema can strengthen the impact of later digital advertising. Adding a prior cinema exposure improved the brand outcomes generated by subsequent web advertising versus web advertising alone.
- As attention declines, media efficiency declines with it. Amplified’s framework estimated media waste rose from 33% in non-dull/high-attention environments to 92% in extremely dull/low-attention environments.
- Challenger brands face a steeper penalty. Among brands studied, challenger brands showed an approximately four times faster decline in effectiveness than established brands as environments became lower attention.
The findings suggest not every impression creates an equal opportunity to influence consumers.
"This research gives advertisers a clearer view of how much attention different media environments actually generate," said Kristie Painting, EVP & Managing Director, Cineplex Media. "While cinema’s performance is important, the broader opportunity is helping Canadian marketers look beyond delivery alone and consider the quality of exposure alongside traditional planning metrics."
"The Canadian findings reinforce a fundamental point: a served impression and a seen impression are not the same thing," said Dr. Karen Nelson-Field, Founder and CEO, Amplified. "Media environments create different amounts of human attention and those differences show up in brand outcomes and media efficiency. For marketers, the question is not simply how many impressions they can buy, but how much opportunity those impressions create to be seen and remembered."
Methodology
Amplified measured 5,400 real ad views across cinema, Facebook and web among Canadian audiences using eye tracking and facial detection in natural viewing environments. Campaign creative was also modelled across Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok and BVOD/Connected TV, generating approximately 360,000 additional modelled ad views. Attention was linked to two brand-response measures: Short-Term Advertising Strength (STAS), which compares immediate brand choice among exposed and unexposed audiences, and Mental Availability (MA), which measures brand associations tied to future buying situations. The full The Eye-Watering Cost of Dull Media – Canada Edition report is available at https://www.amplified.co/resources/cost-of-dull-canada.
About Amplified
Amplified is the global authority in attention, helping the advertising industry move beyond proxy metrics to understand what people actually see, notice and engage with. Through live-environment research and predictive AI solutions, Amplified helps brands, agencies and media owners understand how creative and media are likely to perform before spend is committed.
About Cineplex
Cineplex (TSX:CGX) is a top-tier Canadian brand that operates in the Film Entertainment and Content, Amusement and Leisure, and Media sectors. Cineplex offers a unique escape from the everyday to millions of guests through its circuit of 169 movie theatres and location-based entertainment venues. In addition to being Canada’s largest and most innovative film exhibitor, the company operates Canada’s favourite destination for ‘Eats & Entertainment’ (The Rec Room), complexes specially designed for teens and families (Playdium), and an entertainment concept that brings movies, amusement gaming, dining, and live performances together under one roof (Cineplex Junxion). It also operates successful businesses in cinema media (Cineplex Media), alternative programming (Cineplex Events) and motion picture distribution (Cineplex Pictures). Providing even more value for its guests, Cineplex is a partner in Scene+, Canada’s largest entertainment and lifestyle loyalty program.
Not all impressions are equal, and reach doesn’t guarantee engagement. Amplified’s Campaign Strategy tools use real human attention metrics to help you predict and optimise media performance before launch.
Your campaign's already live, great. But even the best executions can benefit from a fresh lens. Amplified’s in-flight attention measurement gives you clear, science-backed insights into how your creative and placements are performing while there's still time to level-up results.
Through bespoke research studies, we help brands, agencies and platforms measure attention where it matters most, across TV, social, CTV, DOOH and more. This in-depth research helps you ensure that your media investments are seen, engaged with, and delivering true impact.
Test, refine and optimise with attention-first insights. From creative testing to bespoke data analysis, we help brands, agencies and platforms improve performance.
Amplified offers flexible, API-driven integrations, making it easy to activate real human attention data within your existing platforms and tools. Whether you’re an agency, publisher, platform or brand, our integrations ensure attention insights are directly embedded into your workflow, powering smarter, more effective decision-making.
If you’re looking to take attention beyond a one-off study or standard integration, a partnership with Amplified unlocks exclusive access to research, insights, technology and strategic collaboration that transforms how you measure, plan and execute media.
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