HOW DOES THE EYE LOOK AT YOUR AD?
After a lot hard work and long late nights your ad is finally printed in the newspaper.
Then what? Will the reader remember the ad? How much will she remember? And
crucially, what factors influence the memory?
This is some of the findings from the biggest study ever made in Sweden on how the
reader looks at ads and how much of it she really remembers. There are some
important findings, but the study does not provide a magical formula for how to get
maximum effect when creating your next ad.
What you will get, however, is a handful of authentic examples of how the eyes of the
readers actually look at ads in a newspaper. It's the naked truth about ads already
printed. Hopefully, it will provide some inspiration for ads yet to come.
DOES LOW AD RECALL ALWAYS MEAN THAT FEW READERS HAVE SEEN
THE AD?
Does an ad recall score of 25 % mean that one fourth of the readers have seen the
ad and that everybody who has seen the ad remembers it? Or does it mean that 100
% of the readers have seen the ad but only one fourth remember it?
PEOPLE REMEMBER ABOUT 50 % OF THE ADS THEY HAVE LOOKED AT
(y-axis = share) (x-axis = seen page, seen ad, remember ad)
WHAT MAKES PEOPLE REMEMBER?
WHAT ARE WE REALLY MEASURING?
A high value on Previous experience means pre-existing knowledge about the
advertiser, the ad, and/or the product or service being advertised.
A high value on Perception means spending a lot of time looking at an ad.
A high value on Attention means there is a high probability of looking at an
advertiser's name and/or logo, and also spending a lot of time looking at the name
and/or logo.
A high value on Cognition means an ad is regarded as meaningful, interesting,
original, and easy to understand.
A high value on Emotion means the ad is likeable and creates an emotional reaction.
A high value on Memory means readers remember the ad and the advertiser.
WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTORS FOR REMEMBERING AN AD?
Perception, Cognition, Emotion, and Previous experience correlate with Memory.
WHAT CREATES MORE TIME?
Time spent on an ad is determined by:
• The ad being easy to understand, interesting, and original. (Cognition)
• The ad being likeable. (Emotion)
• An interest to purchase what is being advertised. (Previous experience)
The less interest in the advertised product or service the more important
it is to make the reader understand or like the ad.
What the reader understands or feels is influenced by the composition
of the ad - this is the responsibility of the ad agency creatives.
TIME IS PRECIOUS!
Considering that the reader usually stops looking at an ad after 1/2 to 2 seconds it
is important to make the reader understand or get emotionally involved quickly.
THE HIGHER THE INTEREST IN WHAT IS BEING ADVERTISED THE HIGHER AD
RECALL
(y-axis = day after ad recall) (x-axis = relative purchase interest)
EXAMPLE OF ADS WHERE READERS HAVE EITHER A LARGE OR SMALL
PURCHASE INTEREST
TIME SPENT ON AN AD IS THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR IN
CREATING MEMORY
(y-axis = day after ad recall) (x-axis = time eyes spent on ad 0-100 seconds)
EXAMPLE OF ADS WHERE READERS HAVE SPENT EITHER A LONG OR
SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME
THE EASIER AN AD IS TO UNDERSTAND THE HIGHER AD RECALL
(y-axis = day after ad recall) (x-axis = relative ad understanding)
EXAMPLE OF ADS THAT READERS FOUND EITHER EASY OR HARD TO
UNDERSTAND
THE MORE INTEREST AN AD CREATES THE HIGHER AD RECALL
(y-axis = day after ad recall) (x-axis = relative ad interest)
EXAMPLE OF ADS READERS FOUND EITHER INTERESTING OR
UNINTERESTING
THE MORE POSITIVE EMOTION AN AD CREATES THE HIGHER AD RECALL
(y-axis = day after ad recall) (x-axis = relative positive emotion)
EXAMPLE OF ADS READERS EITHER LIKED OR DISLIKED
IN CONCLUSION...
Half of the ads readers have actually looked at are recalled the following day.
Memory is chiefly created by perception (time), cognition, emotion and purchase
interest.
Cognition, emotion, and purchase interest are factors that influence time spent
looking at an ad and thus, memory.
Cognition and emotion is created in the meeting between the reader and the
advertiser.
TOGETHER WE REACH THE READER
With the skills of the ad agency creatives on how to make ads which capture the
readers' interest and emotion, and the possibilities offered by the newspaper media,
we create memory for the readers.
THE STUDY IS MADE
BY DANIEL LUNDQVIST
OF MEJSEL MEDIA &
REKLAMPSYKOLOGI AB