Attention Becomes Measurable: The Weischer.OOH Attention Index

Weischer.OOH is the first specialist agency in Germany to introduce its own attention model, adding a new quality dimension to the evaluation of out-of-home advertising. The Attention Index uses data-driven modeling to quantify how long people engage with advertising surfaces—individually calculated for each of more than 315,000 locations. The index complements established performance metrics such as contacts, net reach, and GRP with a decisive additional evaluation criterion.

Reach is one of the core strengths of out-of-home advertising. It transparently and reliably shows how many people are reached in public spaces. Yet, to date, the German OOH market has operated on a simple equation: one contact equals one contact. Whether someone looks at a billboard for three seconds or merely passes it in their peripheral vision has made no difference in evaluation.

“The Attention Index adds a qualitative dimension to pure contact opportunity—one that has been missing until now. It enables a more comprehensive understanding of how out-of-home advertising actually performs,” explains Simon Kloos, Chief Growth Officer at Weischer.OOH.

A BROAD DATA FOUNDATION FOR A NEW EVALUATION DIMENSION

The W.OOH Attention Index provides insight into the actual viewing time of an out-of-home campaign, adding an additional, data-driven evaluation layer to planning. To build the model, internal and external data sources were intelligently combined and fused into a single, comprehensive indicator.

The attention model integrates four key data sources to generate a unique attention score for each individual location. It is based on official market data from ma Out of Home, which has long served as the standard for performance metrics in the OOH sector. This is enriched with proprietary mobility and location data, offering insights into dwell time and movement patterns around each advertising site. In addition, eye-tracking data from multi-year, pan-European studies contributes detailed insights into visual engagement across formats and contact scenarios. Finally, individual site parameters—such as format, environmental complexity, lighting conditions, and whether the setting is a dwell or transit environment—further enhance the model’s precision.

The result is a tailored attention score—not at format or category level, but for each individual location.

A NEW IMPACT MODEL BEYOND MARKET STANDARDS

Campaigns and planning scenarios can now be evaluated independently and across marketers using the Attention Index, enabling direct comparison between different planning approaches. This provides advertisers and agency partners with an additional perspective that goes beyond established market standards.

“With the Impact Rating Point, we have already evolved GRP and taken the first step from pure advertising pressure to measurable impact. With the W.OOH Attention Index, we are going one step further by adding a qualitative dimension to contact evaluation. This is unique in the German market in this form,” says Tobias Hefele, CEO of Weischer.OOH.

“Today, impact deserves the same level of relevance in the evaluation of out-of-home advertising as traditional performance metrics,” Hefele adds.

Weischer.OOH will continue to develop the index in line with the evolving demands of the market.