An impression tells an advertiser that an opportunity to reach someone existed. It does not, on its own, explain whether the person noticed, became interested or bought anything. The challenge is not to discard familiar media metrics, but to connect them to a more complete account of what advertising achieves.
Mathieu Yarak , Head of Data at MBC Media Solutions (MMS) , joins Campaign Middle East ‘s On the Record video podcast, and explains why data and measurement need to follow the relationship between audience exposure, changing perceptions and commercial results.
Attention has an important role in that relationship, but it cannot carry the entire argument for investment. The difficult truth is that consumers move between television, streaming, social platforms and shopping environments more naturally than the industry’s reporting systems connect them. Advertisers are left trying to assemble a picture from pieces that do not always fit: separate dashboards, inconsistent definitions and different planning processes.
Yarak’s advice combines measurement with practical change. Alongside attention research, brand lift studies and marketing mix modelling, he shares how MMS is working towards a simpler approach to television planning.
Looking back, his experience during Ramadan 2026 also informs his argument that content, cultural habits and the way platforms work together deserve as much consideration as the numbers attached to individual placements.
Start with exposure, but do not stop there
Yarak highlights that while reach and frequency are essential planning foundations, advertisers still need to know whom they can reach and at what scale. The mistake is treating those foundations as finished assessments of effectiveness.
“Reach, frequency and impressions constitute the foundation for any media planning, today,” he says. “But do they prove the value of the media? I don’t think so.”
MMS organises its thinking around three connected stages: securing someone’s interest, influencing how they feel about a product and encouraging a commercial response. Yarak describes these as “the mind, the heart, and the wallet”.
The point is not for one metric to explain or take accountability for the entire process. A campaign might attract notice without changing consideration, or strengthen consideration without immediately producing a purchase.
Understanding the connections gives advertisers a better basis for judging a platform’s contribution than examining each result separately.
Attention reveals more about the environment
On one hand, attention adds detail to an impression that would otherwise appear interchangeable with one delivered elsewhere. On the other hand, it helps advertisers examine the setting in which their creative appears, rather than simply count its distribution.
“It showcases the quality of the placement, and this is more important, to be honest,” Yarak says.
He goes on to explain that engaging content can create a more receptive environment for advertising. Attention research becomes useful not only for assessing whether someone is looking at a screen, but also for exploring how that exposure relates to brand perceptions and sales.
He also challenges the assumption that television’s contribution is less measurable because its connection to a transaction is less immediately visible. Digital environments make some interactions easier to follow; other media require different research mechanisms, not exempti…