MPA chair Stuart Dick on new research that ranks the quality of the media experience.
Advertising has often been dominated by reach: how many people were exposed, at what frequency and at what cost. Reach matters – but reach only tells us how many see it, whereas attention tells us how well.
The new Quality of Attention Index brings that second dimension into the planning conversation and capitalises on marketers awakening to the fact that all reach and attention is not equal.
This new research from experienced media expert Kate Terry of Martelleti Consulting surveyed 1,037 nationally representative New Zealanders aged 18 and over. It compared 13 media environments across five dimensions of attention.
The purpose was not simply to ask whether people used a medium. It was to understand the quality of the experience when they did.
The Quality of Attention results provide compelling evidence that magazines deliver an environment in which both content and advertising are more likely to be noticed, absorbed and remembered.
Printed magazines achieved the highest Quality of Attention Index score of any measured medium. They scored 73.7 – ahead of retail media, magazine websites and apps, newspapers, television, online video, social media, radio, podcasts and outdoor advertising.
Receptive to print and digital
This measure goes well beyond simple exposure. It combines five dimensions: focused attention, low distraction, active engagement, a receptive mindset and the residual effect on memory. Magazines’ leading score shows that readers are not merely present; they are concentrating, mentally involved, open to what they see and more likely to retain it.
The advantage becomes even clearer when advertising is considered. Printed magazines recorded an Ad Attention Index of 64.1, Magazine websites and apps rank second at 61.5, giving magazine media the top two positions. That tells us something important about the relationship audiences have with magazines. The strength is not confined to print. Trusted magazine brands can carry attention across print and digital environments.
For advertisers, this means magazine media offers more than reach. It’s a context in which advertising is more likely to be noticed, to feel relevant and natural – and ultimately to prompt action.
A five-point measure
The index is built from five elements, with each measured through four statements on a five-point agreement scale.
1. Focused attention looks at concentration.
2. Low distraction measures the absence of multitasking.
3. Active engagement looks at mental involvement.
4. Receptive mindset captures trust, enjoyment and openness.
5. And memory or residual effect considers recall and lasting impact.
To learn more, visit MPA.org.nz
This story is about NZ Marketing magazine issue 88, Sept-Nov 2026. Why not subscribe? Get four issues a year for just $50 (including delivery) if you autorenew.
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