Kargo CTV formats achieve 88% longer attention than YouTube ads, study finds

Creative optimization platform Kargo announced September 10, 2025, new research demonstrating significant attention advantages over YouTube advertising in Connected TV environments. According to TVision's comprehensive study, Kargo's premium creative formats deliver substantially longer and more sustained viewer engagement across multiple ad lengths.

The research revealed substantial performance differences between Kargo's CTV advertising solutions and industry benchmarks. Kargo 30-second advertisements held viewer attention 88% longer than YouTube's equivalent CTV placements. The platform's 15-second formats demonstrated a 55% attention advantage compared to YouTube's standard offerings. Additionally, Kargo 30-second campaigns generated a meaningful 32% lift in attention time over corresponding YouTube advertisements.

TVision's analysis highlighted the Enhanced Branded Canvas format as a standout performer within Kargo's creative suite. This proprietary advertising technology surrounds video content with dynamic brand imagery, creating immersive experiences within CTV environments. The format demonstrated consistent attention advantages across different advertisement durations and measurement criteria.

For 15-second Enhanced Branded Canvas advertisements, TVision documented a 7% longer attention duration compared to industry CTV benchmarks. The format captured 55% more attention than standard 15-second CTV advertising. When examining 30-second implementations, Enhanced Branded Canvas advertisements engaged viewers 25% longer than traditional 30-second CTV benchmarks and captured attention 76% longer than standard industry measurements.

The timing of these findings aligns with broader shifts in Connected TV measurement methodologies and advertiser demand for attention-based metrics. CTV officially surpassed combined broadcast and cable television viewing for the first time in May 2025, reaching 44.8% of total television consumption. This milestone underscores the growing importance of understanding attention dynamics within streaming environments.

Hassan Babajane, Chief Revenue Officer at TVision, emphasized the strategic implications for campaign planning. "As advertisers build complete campaigns it makes sense to leverage multiple video and CTV components to hit on both reach and attention," Babajane explained. "YouTube and other apps deliver tremendous scale and reach. Our data shows that Kargo's custom CTV campaigns deliver high-value and outperform benchmarks for attention, making them a smart addition to any media plan."

The research methodology utilized TVision's second-by-second, person-level measurement capabilities to analyze viewer behavior across different advertising environments. This approach provides granular insights into attention patterns that traditional impression-based metrics cannot capture. The data collection spans multiple viewing contexts and demographic segments to ensure statistical validity.

Alena Morris, Vice President of Product Marketing at Kargo, positioned the findings within broader industry trends. "YouTube gives brands incredible reach, but reach alone doesn't guarantee impact," Morris stated. "Kargo's premium CTV creative turns that scale into sustained attention, the real driver of performance. Together, YouTube and Kargo give advertisers the best of both worlds: massive reach and the attention that makes it matter."

These performance metrics reflect attention measurement capabilities becoming increasingly important for campaign optimization, particularly as programmatic CTV investment continues expanding. According to industry analysis, 72% of marketers plan increased investment in programmatic advertising for 2025, with Connected TV budgets projected to double from 14% to 28% of total media spending between 2023 and 2025.

The study builds on Kargo's participation in TVision's Incremental Reach & Frequency beta program, which represents a new approach to CTV campaign measurement. This methodology combines attention data with reach and frequency insights, enabling advertisers to understand not only audience size but also the quality of engagement achieved through premium creative formats.

Technical specifications of the Enhanced Branded Canvas format reveal sophisticated creative optimization capabilities. The technology dynamically adjusts brand imagery and placement based on content context, viewing environment, and audience characteristics. This approach differentiates it from standard video advertising by creating contextual relevance that enhances attention capture.

The research implications extend beyond individual campaign performance to strategic media planning considerations. Traditional video advertising relies primarily on reach metrics and completion rates, which may not accurately reflect viewer engagement quality. Attention-based measurement provides deeper insights into advertising effectiveness and return on investment.

Industry context shows Connected TV measurement capabilities expanding rapidly throughout 2025. Nielsen launched CTV tracking capabilities across UK markets, while contextual targeting solutions demonstrate 2x lift in awareness and 5x lift in favorability compared to standard benchmarks. These developments reflect advertiser demand for more sophisticated measurement and targeting capabilities within streaming environments.

The Enhanced Branded Canvas format addresses specific challenges within CTV advertising execution. Traditional video advertisements often struggle to maintain viewer attention as multitasking behaviors become prevalent. Research shows 95% of CTV viewers multitask while watching television, with 26% always engaging in other activities during viewing sessions.

This multitasking environment creates opportunities for creative formats that can capture attention through visual distinction and contextual relevance. The Enhanced Branded Canvas approach leverages these opportunities by surrounding video content with complementary brand elements that enhance rather than interrupt the viewing experience.

From a technical perspective, the format integrates with premium CTV inventory through Kargo's proprietary optimization platform. This ensures placement within high-quality content environments that align with brand safety requirements and audience targeting objectives. The platform processes real-time bidding data to optimize creative selection and placement decisions.

The research timing coincides with broader industry discussions about attention quality versus quantity in digital advertising. While traditional metrics focus on exposure duration and completion rates, attention-based measurement examines viewer focus and engagement intensity. This distinction becomes particularly relevant as advertising costs continue increasing across CTV platforms.

Kargo's platform differentiates itself through exclusive premium supply access, ensuring advertisements appear within high-quality content environments. This approach contrasts with programmatic solutions that may include lower-quality inventory or fraudulent traffic sources. The platform's 100% premium supply commitment supports the attention performance documented in TVision's research.

The study's findings support emerging trends in CTV advertising effectiveness, where 65% of advertisers report significant sales increases when performance TV integrates with other digital channels. Brand awareness improvements reach 68% when incorporating performance TV into marketing strategies, while 62% of respondents find TV advertising impact easy to demonstrate.

Technical implementation of attention measurement relies on computer vision technology and eye-tracking methodologies to assess viewer focus during advertisement exposure. TVision's measurement approach captures moment-by-moment attention data, enabling precise comparison of creative format performance across different viewing contexts and audience segments.

The Enhanced Branded Canvas format represents Kargo's response to evolving CTV advertising requirements. As streaming platforms expand and viewing behaviors shift, advertisers seek creative solutions that can maintain effectiveness within increasingly fragmented attention environments. The format's performance advantages suggest successful adaptation to these market conditions.

Future implications of the research extend to broader CTV strategy development and media planning optimization. Advertisers utilizing attention-based metrics can make more informed decisions about creative format selection, budget allocation, and platform targeting. This data-driven approach supports improved return on advertising investment and campaign effectiveness.

Timeline

• August 19, 2025: Kargo CTV campaigns revealed achieving 78% higher attention than industry benchmarks in earlier TVision research
• August 19, 2025: IPG Mediabrands launches Acxiom Contextual CTV solution showing 2x awareness and 5x favorability lifts 
• August 19, 2025: Viant integrates with Wurl for scene-level CTV targeting, demonstrating 5x favorability improvements 
• September 10, 2025: Kargo announces TVision study showing 88% attention advantage over YouTube CTV ads
• September 10, 2025: LG Ad Solutions releases comprehensive diversity studies revealing CTV viewing patterns

Summary

Who: Kargo, a creative optimization platform, partnered with TVision, a television measurement company providing second-by-second attention data, to conduct comprehensive analysis of CTV advertising performance.

What: A research study revealing Kargo's CTV advertisements achieve 88% longer attention than YouTube's 30-second CTV ads, with Enhanced Branded Canvas format showing consistent attention advantages across multiple metrics and advertisement lengths.

When: The findings were announced September 10, 2025, building on Kargo's participation in TVision's Incremental Reach & Frequency beta program throughout 2025.

Where: The study analyzed attention performance across premium CTV environments, comparing Kargo's creative formats against YouTube and industry benchmarks within Connected TV advertising contexts.

Why: As Connected TV surpassed traditional television viewing in May 2025 and advertiser investment shifts toward streaming platforms, understanding attention quality becomes crucial for campaign optimization and return on advertising investment.