Everyone’s seen them: The online polls asking simple questions like “how did you feel about this ad?” or “does this ad make you more likely to purchase?” These surveys, a staple part of what’s known as ad pretesting, can be instructive for marketers, but sometimes don’t paint the whole picture when it comes to gauging the actual impact of a video ad on business outcomes.

Mars in recent months has experimented with a new piece of technology that factors in typical digital measurement techniques while putting a larger focus on the emotional response of the viewer as they’re watching the ad. The latter tactic is something the company behind Mars Petcare, Mars Food and Mars Wrigley views as increasingly essential in an attention-strapped world where ad lengths are getting shorter, leaving little time to tell a well-rounded brand narrative. It’s a strategy that also looks to differentiate the packaged goods giant from competitors that are similarly pushing to improve media efficiency and data-driven operations.