As advertisers chase performance in a fractured digital ecosystem, attention is fast becoming the new currency—and DoubleVerify just raised the stakes.
The media quality and verification giant has officially launched DV Authentic Attention® for Social, kicking off with a major partnership with Snap Inc. The new tool marries DV’s scalable ad exposure data with Lumen Research’s eye-tracking tech, creating the first Snapchat-specific solution that blends viewability metrics with real-world attention signals—right down to impression-level detail.
For a platform like Snapchat, built around ephemeral, immersive content, this could be a game-changer.
“Snap’s high-impact environment makes it the perfect testing ground for what attention really looks like in social,” said DV CEO Mark Zagorski. “Advertisers will now see not just if their ad was viewable, but if it was actually seen—and for how long.”
From Viewable to Viewed: Why It Matters
Digital advertising has long relied on viewability as a proxy for effectiveness. But as user behavior splinters across screens, formats, and feeds, advertisers are realizing that just showing up isn’t enough. They need to know whether their ads are grabbing eyeballs—and holding them.
That’s the premise behind DV Authentic Attention. First introduced for the open web and CTV, the tool is now extending into social media for the first time—bringing parity to cross-platform measurement. The goal? Deliver more precise insights into what actually drives impact and ROI in today’s feed-driven economy.
The solution offers three core metrics:
- Ad Focus: Measures whether the ad captured eye gaze, offering a read on visibility beyond traditional viewability.
- Dwell Time: Quantifies the seconds an ad holds attention—essential for optimizing creative length and pacing.
- Attention Index: Benchmarks attention performance against peers in the same vertical, allowing for smarter optimization and spend allocation.
Unlike most social ad measurement, which aggregates attention signals at the campaign level, DV tracks impression-level detail. This means advertisers can see how individual creative elements, placements, and strategies affect attention—rather than guessing based on averages.
Platform Implications: Why Snapchat?
Snap is a bold but logical launch partner. With short-form vertical video baked into its DNA, and a younger demographic known for scroll-happy behavior, attention data here is more than useful—it’s essential.
For Snap, this marks the next step in building a more robust measurement ecosystem. The company already partners with DV for fraud detection, brand suitability, and viewability tracking. Adding attention metrics to the mix closes the loop for performance-hungry advertisers.
Meanwhile, DV isn’t alone in pushing attention as a metric that matters. Competitors like Integral Ad Science (IAS) and Adelaide have also moved into this space, some with eye-tracking partnerships of their own. But DV’s vertical integration—verification, optimization, and outcome measurement in one platform—gives it a stronger pitch for advertisers who want a full-funnel solution.
DV plans to expand its Authentic Attention® for Social integration to more platforms in 2025, though it hasn’t named which ones yet. With media buyers increasingly asking for cross-platform consistency, DV’s move positions it well to lead the shift toward attention-based planning and reporting.
For now, the global rollout on Snapchat offers a potent tool for brands looking to squeeze more signal from social. As third-party cookies crumble and algorithmic feeds reign supreme, metrics like these offer a rare, reliable proxy for what users actually care about.
