Cineplex Media and Amplified, the global authority in attention, 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.
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The $1.5 billion Canadian media blind spot represents capital wasted on low-attention digital and programmatic inventory that satisfies basic IAB viewability standards but fails to capture genuine consumer focus. For Canadian advertisers and media buyers, relying solely on cheap Cost-Per-Mille (CPM) metrics is no longer viable. Transitioning to Attentive CPM (aCPM) and attention-weighted performance metrics allows brands to eliminate programmatic waste, optimize ad spend, and tie media investments directly to real-world engagement and ROI.
The research will help media buyers and advertisers better understand the downsides of buying on viewability and to leverage high-attention environments as force multipliers.
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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."
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.
