What We Talk About When We Talk About Audience

The ad industry has a bad habit: All too frequently, we take a word that has meant one thing for decades or even centuries, and we give it a new meaning of our own. And, typically, that new definition is not a particularly good one. Take “impression,” for example. In the Merriam-Webster dictionary, “impression” is defined as either:

• the effect or influence that something or someone has on a person’s thoughts or feelings
• an idea or belief that is usually not clear or certain
• an appearance or suggestion of something

And, yet, if you go to an ad industry event, “impression” is likely being used to mean “50% of the pixels somewhere in the viewable screen for at least 2 seconds, with no current audio requirement.” How the heck did we get there?

We — the ad industry — have done it again with the word “audience.” Here’s the dictionary definition:

• a group of people who gather together to listen to something (such as a concert) or watch something (such as a movie or play); the people who attend a performance
• the people who watch, read, or listen to something
• a formal meeting with an important person

See what those definitions all imply? That the people that comprise that audience are ready to pay attention to a performance, piece of content or a message that will be communicated. An audience, effectively, is attention plus a stage (the content that’s desired, and on which the brand message has to subsequently be shown) plus time (the limited slice of the day that an individual is willing to spend on that brand message).

Yet right now, the functional ad-tech definition of the word “audience” strips out all of these. That definition is more like “a large group, likely consisting of people you want to talk to, and potentially consisting of people that want to listen.” The word I want to highlight there is potentially. Attention is no longer considered a guarantee with an audience. Now, it’s more than OK for the meaning of a word to evolve to match the space and time it’s being applied to, but with “audience” we’re making a misstep. Our entire industry hinges on real attention, not potential attention.

Let’s say I, the advertiser, have a target — an audience — of an 18–24-year-old male who is a parent. We know a little bit about him. We know he’s present. But the reality in digital advertising is that while he may be present, there are a lot of distractions and a lot of other people present too. First I have have to capture his attention, then I have to retain his attention long enough to deliver a message. It’s like a crowded café. That’s not really an audience; I haven’t been guaranteed attention, nor do I have the proverbial stage, nor received any assurance that my audience will spend real time with my brand. Yet the ad-tech world defines an audience as such, as offering the potential for attention. And you cannot have an audience without attention.

What if we as an industry modify our definition of what we talk about when we talk about “audience,” to make it reflect the need for that attention? Say, “A person who is present and offering you their attention.”

It’s a simple tweak, but it can change so much. Once we know that we’ve got to start with attention, we can ask how that attention came about. In many cases, it’s simple: A digital publisher or broadcaster has that kind of attention if it’s offering good content, premium content, that people want to see enough that they’re willing to lend their attention to a brand in order to make their content experience more satisfying.

And then, we can start asking additional questions. Should we permit consumers to opt into lending that attention to a brand so that it’s a conscious choice they make, rather than a forced one? (Yes.) Should platforms be making it possible for brands to use the highest-impact creative — preferably a rich, interactive canvas — in order for that attention to be engagingly and well spent? (Yes.) Should brands and publishers be raising the bar for what constitutes actual time spent on an ad, as opposed to the two seconds that are the alleged standard today? (Absolutely.)

The ad industry is, and always has been driven by our talking points and buzzwords, the stuff on which we sell our products and close our deals. But we have to hold ourselves to higher standards — and the language we use day-to-day is a great place to start. When we talk about “audience,” we’re talking about attention and a quality place and time in which to spend it. Let’s not sell ourselves — or consumers — short.