Reach continues to dominate media planning in India, while attention quality is still finding its place, according to the Beyond Reach report by Publicis Media India and MMA India. The study found that 81% of marketers place reach or incremental reach among their top three media-allocation metrics, whereas only 17% include attention quality in that list. Further, 69% either do not factor attention into media plans or do not let it shape decisions.
Yet openness to change is strong. Some 86% of marketers said they would be likely or very likely to shift budgets if dependable attention data showed another allocation could build stronger brand memory. Measurement remains the biggest hurdle, with 92% ranking the lack of reliable, standardised attention measurement among their top three challenges. All respondents agreed that an industry standard would speed up adoption.
The report includes India-specific benchmarks from measurement partner Lumen, estimating the visual attention earned per 1,000 delivered impressions. Instagram Reels generate around 692 seconds, YouTube skippable video 1,957 seconds, YouTube non-skippable video 3,579 seconds, CTV 7,286 seconds and linear TV 7,771 seconds. These figures are not meant to rank media effectiveness, but to show that equal impressions can yield very different attention. Creative matters too: 94% of marketers said it is at least as important as placement, yet only 14% systematically adapt creative to formats and lengths.
Leaders see attention as a complement, not a replacement. Publicis Media’s Lalatendu Das and MMA India’s Moneka Khurana said it should qualify reach and guide planning.
