Media Attention Requires Quantitative and Qualitative Data
Laerte Finotelli analyzes podcast retention and audience shifts between broadcast TV and digital during the World Cup.
Laerte Finotelli discusses the evolution of media measurement, explaining why isolated reach fails to reflect audience attention. The analysis covers the strength of podcasts in qualified retention and the consumption dynamics between television and streaming during the World Cup.
Product coordinator Laerte Finotelli spoke with Bruno Gimenes on Marketing - The Podcast about the limitations of evaluating media solely by reach volume and the necessity of incorporating qualitative layers of attention into advertising investment decisions.
Addressing the debate surrounding digital consumption speed in fast-scrolling environments, Finotelli uses a medical analogy to explain that isolated quantitative metrics do not reflect a campaign's true efficiency. In the video above, the coordinator details how to integrate different indicators to understand each channel's real impact.
Integrating quantitative and qualitative metrics
For Finotelli, traditional measurement retains its value, but it must be combined with other factors to properly guide agencies and advertisers. "Imagine you want to take care of your health; you visit a doctor, they order a test, but they cannot assess you completely based only on a blood glucose test. Comparing that to reach, for example, it is fundamental information, but on its own, it tells only part of the story," he explains.
The core challenge lies in cross-referencing impressions and reach with screen time and average retention. According to Finotelli, there is a global movement of companies seeking to develop complementary qualitative metrics: "The big key here—and companies operate globally today, so this isn't just Brazil, the United States, or Europe, it's a worldwide shift—is that I see many companies trying to propose solutions. Each holds part of the answer, addressing a portion of the need for qualitative data, but working together is undoubtedly what will create a more promising future."
The context of receptive attention in podcasts
When analyzing the podcast format as an advertising channel, Finotelli highlights the listening environment and intentional user interest as retention differentiators. Unlike formats where ads interrupt navigation, long-form audio operates as a companion experience.
"In the case of podcasts, it is a context where the person deliberately wants to consume that content; they haven't been invaded by it. That makes all the difference," Finotelli states. According to him, this receptive mindset increases brand recall and study citations, especially when combined with a visual video experience.
Finotelli also points out that measuring this ecosystem connects back to the historical roots of media research in Brazil. "IBOPE originated with radio research in Brazil. That radio foundation was, so to speak, the seed from which IBOPE grew. It also encompasses digital delivery components," he notes.
The broadcasting rivalry between broadcast TV and digital in the World Cup
Addressing World Cup coverage, Finotelli analyzes how the event drives technical innovations, such as DTV+ technology, and accelerates format competition between traditional broadcasters and digital channels. He points to YouTube broadcasts by Cazé TV, offering 100% of matches for free, as an example of digital media repositioning itself onto the living room screen.
While the internet attracted audiences through tone and accessibility, broadcast television maintained a direct technical advantage during live coverage. Finotelli emphasizes that conventional networks capitalized on their lack of signal delay: "They emphasized the delay issue heavily. On broadcast TV, due to audio and video transmission technology, there is a real time advantage compared to digital."
Pendular audience behavior between goals and halftime
This coexistence between mediums produced real-time audience migration dynamics. According to Finotelli, viewer behavior shifted depending on match moments: broadcast TV saw immediate spikes during goals to avoid latency, while digital platforms captured attention during match breaks.
"We saw, for example, that audience influx into broadcast TV at the moment of a goal was atypical—a sharp surge in that exact second. But interestingly, during halftime, the reverse was also true, with viewers migrating to digital," Finotelli explains.
For Finotelli, this movement showed that digital halftime programming provided content with higher immediate affinity, compelling traditional networks to adjust their schedules in real time during sports broadcasts.