In decades past, demographic characteristics were considered the strongest predictors of consumers’ values, attitudes and purchasing behavior. Over time, however, they have grown to become weak predictors and correlates. In this Knowledge at Hand report, Dr. Horst Stipp, EVP at the ARF, summarizes the latest and most impactful research to date on consumer values and how researching them carefully can help shape effective business strategies and impactful ad messages.
This presentation discussed the importance of nuance and interaction effects and how understanding interaction effects are critical in building products. There were four use cases—campaign strategy, planning, verification, buying. Two sets of data—inward and outward facing—looked at tag-based data through tags, outward facing—device based, panel data, gaze tracking, pose estimation, etc. One is observed while the other is human. Both are valuable. Each set has limitations. Looking at actual humans has a scale issue, whereas impression data has limited ability to predict behavior. Human behavior is complex. It is also varied by platforms. Metrics without ground truth misses out on this. Three types of human-attention were measured: active attention (looking directly at an ad), passive attention (eyes not directly on ad), non-attention (eyes not on screen, not on ad). Attention outcomes and attention are not always related. Underneath how attention data works there is a hierarchy of attention—the way ad units and scroll speeds and other interaction effects all mediate with each other. It is not as simple as saying look at this ad unit and we will get this amount of attention. If products don’t include these factors they fail. Amplified Intelligence built a large-scale validation model for interaction effects and “choice” using Pepsi. They employed logistic regression using Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE), analyzing observations and tested critical factors—brand size and attention type, to demonstrate strong predictive accuracy with CV accuracy. They found significant interaction effects, particularly brand size and attention type as key influencers of consumer brand choice.
Key findings:
Passive and active attention work differently. Passive attention works harder for bigger brands, while active attention works harder for smaller brands. Put differently, small brands need active attention to get more brand choice outcomes.
Attention switching (focus) mediates outcomes. The nature of viewing behavior mediates outcomes. Not just attention yes or no, and what level, but about behavior across time. This is why time-in-view fundamentally fails even though it is considered one of the critical measures of attention. Humans are constantly switching between attention and non-attention. There’s attention decay—how quickly attention diminishes (sustained attention x time). There’s attention volume—the number of people attentive (attentive reach x time).
Eyes on brand attention is vital for outcomes. If the brand is not at the point when people are looking (or hearing), this impacts outcomes. When the brand is missing, we fill in the blanks, but the next generation of buyers are being “untrained.”
Implications:
Human attention is nuanced, complicated, making it difficult to rely merely on aggregated non-human metrics for accuracy. We must constantly train these models, just like GenAI, to ensure that all these nuances are fit into the model. A human first approach is critical.
Outcomes cannot predict attention. Attention can predict outcomes but not the other way around.
Attention strategies should be tailored to campaign requirements (not binary quality or more/less time). Overtime attention performance segments will start to think about other AI.
Key takeaways:
Human attention is nuanced. This makes it difficult to rely only on aggregated non-human metrics for accuracy.
A human-first approach is critical.
Outcomes cannot predict attention.
Attention strategies should be tailored to campaign requirements.
Retail media networks, generative AI across creative, market research and trust, ad effectiveness and attention: These are among the topics highlighted on the Journal of Advertising Research’s list of 2024 research priorities. The list is a result of one-on-one interviews with advertising professionals by Editor-in-Chief Colin Campbell, who asked: "What are your biggest needs and challenges?"
This March 7th event, curated by the ARF Cultural Effectiveness Council, explored the topic of authentic representation by sharing research on the current landscape and audience perceptions, as well as research to improve authentic representation in media and advertising.
The use of specific sounds, audio cues and music for branding is nothing new — it has been employed since radio became a mass medium. But as many marketers are rediscovering, sonic branding researchers are exploring best practices for today’s media environment.
As all media are full of analyses, polls and commentaries, with this year’s Super Bowl ads, it is worth looking at research insights from past Super Bowls.
At this Insights Studio, researchers in Europe, the U.K. and the U.S. presented work in relatively new fields that have high-impact potential for the advertising industry. Starting with a forthcoming paper on sonic branding, the authors described their ground-breaking framework for measuring the implicit effects of sonic branding using music to manipulate visual scenes in video, film and TV. Next, a deep dive into autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR)—a sensory-inducing device in ads—included strategies for helping brands collaborate with successful ASMR influencers. Lastly, a preview of an article to be published in the March Prosocial Advertising Special Issue showed how brand activism influences attitudes and purchase intentions, revealing a credibility gap between established activist brands and brands emerging in that space. Taking questions from Paul and from attendees, panelists in the concluding Q&A explored links between sonic branding and ASMR, the demographics of ASMR followers, ways for emergent activist brands to close the credibility gap with established activist brands, and future research possibilities.
