consumer behavior

Beyond Frequency Caps: Rethinking Advertising Effectiveness

  • COGNITION COUNCIL

For years, advertisers have asked a seemingly simple question: What is the optimal frequency for an ad? Members of the ARF Cognition Council examine why that question can oversimplify how people actually perceive, learn from and remember advertising. Drawing on attention research, psychology and neuroscience, the panel discusses why impressions should not be treated as equivalent to attention, how repetition affects learning and memory, the balance between habituation and novelty, and the roles of culture and context in advertising effectiveness.

Member Only Access

Beyond Clicks: What Polarizing Content Really Costs Publishers

  • ARF; MSI

Digital publishers often assume that content generating the most clicks also creates the most valuable readers. This MSI Working Paper challenges that assumption. Using behavioral data from a major European news publisher, the researchers find that while politically polarizing content reliably increases engagement, it does little to drive subscriptions—and during politically charged periods, it can actually reduce subscriber acquisition and increase churn. The findings offer important guidance for publishers and marketers seeking to balance short-term attention with long-term customer relationships.

Member Only Access

How LLM Adoption Is Reshaping Search, Web Traffic and Digital Advertising

  • ARF; MSI

As consumers increasingly turn to large language models for information, their wider online behavior may change in ways that affect search engines, publishers and advertisers. This MSI Working Paper analyzes detailed browsing data to examine what happens after users adopt LLMs. The researchers find that traditional search activity eventually declines by more than 20%, visits to smaller and education-related websites fall, and exposure to display advertising decreases. The findings suggest that LLMs are becoming substitutes for some established online activities while potentially concentrating traffic among the web’s largest platforms.

Member Only Access

Global vs. Local Marketing

  • YOUNG PROS

On July 23, the ARF Young Pros discussed what it takes to build and execute successful global marketing campaigns and the strategic elements that drive effectiveness at scale, including cultural nuances, market-specific behaviors, and cross-market alignment while maintaining a cohesive global message. Plus, attendees had the chance to work together to create a quick mock campaign concept and then pitched their ideas back to the larger group.

Member Only Access