Dentsu × Vertical Impression — The Attention Framework

2026 · Strategic Framework Proposal

THE
ATTENTION
FRAMEWORK

The most advanced, most customized attention framework in the industry —
co-built with Dentsu's Brand Reset and Lumen study, powered by VI's real-time Intelligence Layer.
Exclusive to Dentsu Canada for the 2026 term.

VERTICAL IMPRESSION

Dentsu

Lumen

Kantar · MDS

Annual Framework Investment · $750,000 · Exclusive · Always-On

01 — The Marketer's Challenge

The Industry Is Stuck
In a Doom Loop.

"Brand advertising has always had the power to deliver long-term sales while driving short-term impact. But recent years have seen an industry-wide race to the bottom — commoditizing attention in pursuit of short-term clicks and cheap impressions."
— Dentsu, The Brand Reset (2026)

01

The status quo

Optimize against faulty metrics.

Clicks, CPMs, cheap impressions. Advertising playback plateaus. Brand equity erodes silently while performance dashboards show green.

02

The problem

No tools to drive a brand-building agenda.

Marketers need evidence, frameworks, and real-time signal to defend long-term investment to CFOs. Historical post-mortems don't change a live campaign.

03

The need

Evidence. Methodology. Real-time outcomes.

Dentsu built the Brand Reset to give marketers the hypotheses. VI brings the live infrastructure to prove them in-market, every day.

⚠️

Every channel in the modern mix optimizes in real time. OOH is the last one that still flies blind — and Dentsu's Brand Reset framework deserves a live measurement layer to match.

02 — The Gap

Everyone Measures.
No One Intervenes.

The industry default

OOH with a report

1

Deploy client budget. Campaign goes live across screens.

2

Wait 4–6 weeks. Estimated impressions, no attention data.

3

Receive post-analysis. Foot traffic lift, search correlation — all historical.

4

Apply learnings to next flight. This client's spend is gone.

VS

The Dentsu × VI framework

OOH with a receipt — and a lever

1

Deploy client budget. VI's real-time attention measurement activates immediately.

2

Dashboard goes live. Attention by client, by market, by LOB — in the Brand Reset currency.

3

Optimize in-flight. Shift weight toward the screens and markets delivering voluntary attention.

4

Prove outcomes while spending. Not after. During.

This isn't measurement. This is the operating system for Dentsu's OOH.

03 — The Proof Already Exists

We've Seen What This Does.

Three live campaigns. Three verified outcomes. Not modelled — measured in real time while the flights were running. The same infrastructure Dentsu clients will operate on in 2026.

Campaign A · Luxury Automotive · In-Flight Optimization

+26% Attention

Dashboard flagged underperforming image creatives. Two live interventions — video drove +4.4% above campaign avg vs. image at −4.5%. Clear signal. Live lever. Exactly the voluntary-attention advantage the Brand Reset predicts.

4.98s

Avg Attention

+4.4%

Video vs Image

63.8%

Active Att.

⚡ 2 interventions · Feb 6 + Feb 28 · attention trending +7.2% above avg post-opt

Campaign B · Search Lift

+36% Search

Search interest for the campaign keyword rose 36% during the flight window. The dashboard showed the correlation live — not weeks after the budget was spent. The short-term sales signal Brand Reset quantifies at 2–15%.

5.30s

Avg Attention

+35%

Post-Opt Lift

+4.0%

vs Network

⚡ In-flight optimization Feb 16 · attention flipped negative → +38% above campaign avg

Campaign C · Foot Traffic Attribution

$0.51 / Visit

Device-verified foot traffic attribution produced a cost-per-verified-visit of $0.51. +28.94% traffic lift. 266K unique visitors. OOH delivering performance-channel accountability — the receipt Brand Reset says every media plan deserves.

$0.51

Per Verified Visit

+28.94%

Traffic Lift

266K

Unique Visitors

🎯 Closed-loop OOH · impression → visit → verified outcome, reported while live

This is what the intelligence layer produces. Not after the campaign ends — while it's live. Dentsu's Brand Reset supplies the hypotheses. VI has already proved them in-market.

3

Live Campaigns

3

Verified Outcomes

0

Modelled Proxies

04 — The Technology

Attention Is Now
Verified. In Real Time.

VI's patented Anonymous Video Analytics (AVA) fuses with Lumen's definitive attention dataset — the same signal that powers Dentsu's Brand Reset. Two attention systems, one framework, calibrated against Kantar's MDS brand-equity benchmarks. This fusion does not exist anywhere else in Canadian OOH.

VI · Real-Time Infrastructure

AI-Verified Attention

Privacy-by-Design certified. Eyes-on detection. Creative-level scoring by building, market, and daypart. Live, every second the network is on.

×

Dentsu · Brand Reset + Lumen

Attention → Brand Equity

Second-by-second attention curves calibrated to long-term sales lift through Kantar's MDS framework. The methodology built into Dentsu's Global Planner.

2.4×

Above the attention threshold for long-term memory encoding

20s

The Brand Reset ceiling — where attention's diminishing return begins

5×

More attention than standard digital display formats

118s

Average uninterrupted exposure per elevator ride · voluntary

Co-Built. Exclusive. Never Been Done.

From Attention Economy
To the Attention Framework.

Dentsu has spent seven years turning attention signals into industry-first frameworks — from The Attention Economy (2018) through The Brand Reset (2026). VI's Intelligence Layer is the next step: a custom, co-built OOH application of the Brand Reset methodology — deployed across Canada, exclusive to Dentsu.

2018

The Attention Economy

Dentsu's industry-first framework linking attention to short-term sales (up to 3 months). The Precision Era's operating system.

→

2026

The Brand Reset

The industry's largest video dataset linking attention to brand equity and long-term sales (up to 3 years). With Lumen + Kantar + Les Binet.

→

2026 · Co-Built

The Attention Framework · OOH

VI + Dentsu extend Brand Reset into real-time OOH. Lumen attention curves + AVA verification + MDS brand-equity scoring. Live. Customized. Exclusive to Dentsu Canada.

Calibrated to Kantar's MDS Framework

Every attention signal we deliver is already scored against Meaningful · Different · Salient.

M

Meaningful

Longer-attention formats build emotional resonance. We flag campaigns earning the attentive time needed for Meaning to encode.

D

Different

Voluntary attention — viewers who stay — is where Difference is earned. We separate forced views from chosen views, second by second.

S

Salient

Short-attention reach drives Salience. We optimize attentive reach vs. attentive time by client goal — exactly as Global Planner recommends.

The Attention Framework · $750,000

The First Time
In OOH History.

Annual Investment $750,000·Always-On·Exclusive to Dentsu Canada·2026 Term

🧠 Real-Time Sentiment × Brand Equity Layer

First-ever emotional response tracking in OOH, calibrated to Kantar's MDS framework. Know if Dentsu-client messages are landing Meaningful, Different, or Salient — live. Custom-built from Brand Reset methodology.

First to Market

📈 Dentsu Brand Health Index

A proprietary brand-health score built from VI attention, Lumen voluntary-attention curves, and MDS scoring — across every Dentsu client running OOH. Updated live. Exclusive to Dentsu.

Exclusive

🎯 Category Competitive Attention Baseline

Benchmark every Dentsu client against its competitive set using anonymized industry attention data. Know if Mercedes is winning vs. BMW, Subway vs. McDonald's, AIR MILES vs. PC Optimum — in the elevator, in real time.

Anonymous Benchmarking

🔍 Competitive Programmatic Monitoring

See when rival brands activate DOOH — where they flight, how hard, against which markets. One consolidated view across the competitive set for every Dentsu client.

Market Intelligence

📊 Outcomes Integration · Sales Data + Lumen Study Overlay

VI ingests client POS / transaction / CRM data and overlays it onto Lumen attention curves — generating in-flight OOH recommendations correlated to real revenue outcomes. Not modelled proxies. This is the custom extension of the Brand Reset Sales Simulator into OOH — co-built with Dentsu, exclusive, unique in the industry.

Competitive Advantage · Exclusive

🏆

This has never been done

No agency group in the industry has extended Brand Reset methodology into a real-time OOH operating system tied to live sales outcomes. Dentsu would be the first — and the data belongs to Dentsu.

05 — The Pipeline

Dentsu × Billups Clients, Already in Flight.

Five live Dentsu × Billups conversations where the Attention Framework is already delivering value or poised to activate. Two are ACTIVE with optimization recommendations in-hand. Three are LAUNCH-READY awaiting final dates and budget. Every screen below is VI-verified, attention-scored, and Brand Reset-aligned — the framework is live the moment the campaign is.

BC HYDRO ● Active

Greater Vancouver · 47 screens · Convert to GPMP · Dayparted 6–9am + 6–9pm

Condo · 18 screens

Commercial · 8 screens

Luxury Rental · 4 screens

17 REMOVE (low att.)

5.47s

Keep-Screen Att. Avg

⚡

In-Flight

Remove 17 · Keep 30

Dashboard flagged 17 GVA screens below attention threshold. Removing them + GPMP conversion = ~36% efficiency lift. Ops IDs already surfaced.

🏙

Targeting

Condo-Heavy · GVA

Vancouver, Burnaby, Surrey, White Rock, Coquitlam. Highest voluntary attention: Vancouver 385_3 at 6.81s.

📊

MDS

Conservation Salience

Dayparted creative hits peak-usage windows — attention reach model (Brand Reset principle 04 · voluntary > forced).

🎯

Outcomes

Conservation Action Lift

Measure digital enrollment + conservation-tool signups from exposed buildings. Closed-loop OOH → utility action.

ACTIVE · Optimization brief delivered · 17-screen removal pending ops · GPMP conversion ready

KLM ● Active

GTA + Calgary · 173 screens · Trim bottom 30 · Weight East York + Calgary luxury

East York Condo · 6.28s avg

Calgary Luxury · 6.09s avg

Toronto · 143 Keep

30 REMOVE (< 4.5)

5.27s

Keep-Screen Att. Avg

⚡

In-Flight

143 Keep · 30 Remove

Bottom 30 screens below 4.5 attention threshold — already mapped. Reweight delivery to East York + Calgary top performers.

✈️

Targeting

Premium Business Travel

East York 631_3 (6.64s, 3,240 data pts) and Calgary 582_5 (6.91s). Dutch-precision travel audience in highest-yield buildings.

🏆

Competitive

vs. AC · Lufthansa · BA

Long-haul carrier benchmarking in Canadian gateway markets. Brand Reset: voluntary attention = brand equity.

📊

Outcomes

Booking-Flow Attribution

Overlay klm.com booking signals onto exposed-building attention curves. OOH → search → booking, closed loop.

ACTIVE · 30-screen trim pending · Top performer: East York 631_3 at 6.64s · 3,240 data points

LEXUS ◎ Launch-Ready

AB + BC + ON · 30-screen GPMP · High HHI · EV-adjacent · Awaiting dates + budget

Edmonton Luxury · 7.35s

Vancouver Luxury · 7.30s

Calgary Luxury · 6.91s

Toronto Condo · 6.54s

6.47s

Planned Att. Avg

⚡

Launch

30 Screens Identified

High-HHI Luxury Rental + Condo across AB/BC/ON. Edmonton 4 leading at 7.35s attention. GPMP can activate immediately on confirmed budget.

🔋

Targeting

EV-Adjacent Residences

Premium residential with charging infrastructure proximity. Brand Reset: Meaningful + Different drive EV consideration.

🎯

Competitive

vs. BMW · Audi · MB

Luxury set attention benchmark. Own the voluntary-attention window in high-HHI buildings before competitors activate.

📊

Outcomes

Retail Visit Attribution

Device-verified dealership visits from exposed condos/luxury rentals. Closed-loop OOH → showroom within 30 days.

LAUNCH-READY · Awaiting start date, end date, budget · 30-screen GPMP pre-loaded

H&R BLOCK ◎ Launch-Ready

National · 35 screens · Condo (18–35) + Commercial (SMB) · Tax Apr 30

Condo · 18-35 Demo

Commercial · SMB Owners

Montreal · Toronto · Edmonton

Tax Season Urgency

6.22s

Planned Att. Avg

⚡

Launch

35 Screens Pre-Built

Split condo (personal tax) + commercial (SMB business tax). Vancouver 385 at 6.81s leading. Ready to activate the moment budget confirms.

🧠

Sentiment

Deadline-Urgency Creative

Sentiment scoring as the April 30 deadline narrows. Salience surges in final 10 days — Brand Reset principle 01 in action.

🏢

Dual Audience

Condo + Commercial Split

18–35 urban renters in condos · SMB owners in commercial buildings. One campaign, two custom creatives, two attention curves.

📊

Outcomes

Filing + Appointment Lift

Online filing session + storefront appointment bookings tied to exposed buildings. Framework proves conversion before the deadline.

LAUNCH-READY · Window closing (Apr 30) · 35-screen plan pre-built · Awaiting dates + budget

IKEA CANADA ◎ In Conversation

National · Condo + New-Mover residential · Seasonal refresh + always-on · Dentsu x Billups

Condo · Urban Cores

New Home / First-Time Buyers

Seasonal Refresh

IKEA Family Loyalty

Activate

Framework Live

🏠

Targeting

Condo + New-Mover Framework

The lowest-attention, highest-purchase-intent window is the elevator of a newly moved-in Canadian. IKEA's core audience, voluntarily attending.

🎯

Seasonal

Fall + Spring Refresh Flights

Aligned to IKEA's two biggest Canadian windows. Brand Reset principle 02: a single exposure drives 1–5% long-term lift.

🧠

MDS Brand

Different · Playful Creative

IKEA's tone is the textbook voluntary-attention winner. Sentiment scoring proves which creatives earn the stay, which earn the skim.

📊

Outcomes

Store + E-Comm Lift

Measured visits to IKEA Canada's 14 stores + e-comm session attribution from exposed buildings. Brand Reset sales simulator, applied to OOH.

IN CONVERSATION · Dentsu × Billups · Fall seasonal flight + 2026 always-on framework scoping

06 — The Five Insights · Applied to OOH

Dentsu's Brand Reset —
Operationalized in the Elevator.

The Brand Reset's five actionable insights were built from 40,000 respondents across 10 next-gen video platforms. We've extended each one into OOH — the highest-attention voluntary video environment in Canada — so Dentsu clients can act on them second-by-second.

01

Digital Video Delivers Multi-Year Brand Building

Brand Reset proved short-form digital drives long-term sales lift (up to 3 years). OOH elevators deliver that same voluntary-attention profile — at premium residential density.

OOH Application · Track 3-year brand lift from elevator exposure — per client.

02

A Single Exposure Can Build the Brand

One quality exposure = 1–5% long-term sales lift + 2–15% short-term lift. Elevators deliver one captive exposure per ride — every ride, all year.

OOH Application · Model per-ride brand lift through Kantar sales simulator.

03

CTV ≈ Linear TV for Brand Building

Brand Reset shows CTV closes the gap to Linear. OOH elevators close a different gap — to CTV — by delivering larger-format video to audiences CTV struggles to reach.

OOH Application · Position elevator OOH as the third leg of the brand-video plan.

04

Voluntary Attention > Forced Attention

When viewers choose to stay, impact jumps. Elevator audiences cannot leave but can choose to look or look away — and 63.3% choose to look (VI data).

OOH Application · Report voluntary-attention seconds per creative, per building.

05

Attention Diminishes After 20s

Beyond 20 seconds, extra attention adds little lift. Elevator rides average 118 seconds — so we help Dentsu plan for the right 15–20s window, not more.

OOH Application · Recommend optimal creative length per client × format.

The Decision · 2026 Term

Dentsu IS FIRST. THERE IS NO SECOND.

The Attention Framework · Always-On · Exclusive

$750K

Real-time sentiment. Brand Health Index calibrated to Kantar MDS. Lumen attention-curve overlay. Competitive intelligence. Outcomes integration tied to real revenue. The first OOH extension of the Brand Reset methodology — co-built with Dentsu, exclusive to Dentsu clients, locked for the 2026 term.

The window to lead this category is open — but not indefinitely.
The agency that moves first owns the benchmark. Literally.

Nicolette Leonardis · President & Co-Founder, Vertical Impression
nleonardis@verticalimpression.com · verticalimpression.com