Study: Consumers Pay More Attention To Creatively Consistent Digital Campaigns

three white billboard advertising on street 3d rendering

A study from Inskin Media and Lumen Research has found that standard ad formats attract greater visual attention when they are creatively very similar to other digital formats within the campaign.

The findings conclude that the traditional ‘matching luggage’ approach to creative execution is therefore key to maximising the impact of a brand’s ad spend.

The research, in which over 3,000 eye tracking experiments were carried out, showed that high-impact formats garnered 15x more attention than standard display formats.

Within the same campaign, attention levels for MPUs shown after a high-impact format were amplified: they were 27 per cent more likely to be looked at, looked at for 39 per cent longer and were 140 per cent more likely to have an impact than MPUs shown after another identical MPU.

This amplification effect was much more significant when the creative style of the high-impact format and MPU was the same.

The creatives used in Campaign A were dissimilar, resulting in a small increase in the amount of attention paid (3 per cent uplift vs control).

In Campaign B, the creatives were more similar and resulted in a larger increase in attention paid (26 per cent).

In Campaign C, the creatives were extremely similar or ‘matching’ and resulted in a sharp uplift in attention (174 per cent uplift) – a 171 per cent increase on Campaign A.

In Campaign C, the colour and copy on the high-impact format and MPU were the same, with strong product imagery, tagline and call-to-action.

In comparison, the high-impact format and MPU for Campaign A were inconsistent: the background colours didn’t match, the product imagery was different and the MPU lacked a call-to-action.

This demonstrates that the traditional ‘matching luggage’ approach to digital campaign execution is a powerful driver of effectiveness across a media plan.

With visual attention to display advertising a scarce commodity – only 12 per cent of served digital ads are ever seen and only 4 per cent are looked at for one second or more – amplifying the cut-through potential is vital.

The study also uncovered a direct link between the length of visual attention paid to digital advertising, and brand recall, with 50 per cent of users able to recall the advertised brand after 1-2 seconds of visual engagement time, vs 35 per cent after 0-1 seconds, emphasising the importance of visual engagement beyond 1 second.

The research, part of Inskin and Lumen’s ‘Amplify: Planning for Attention’ study, highlights significant implications for media planning and highlights the importance of creative consistency across a campaign.

Inkin Media’s head of insight, Dominic Tilson commented: “We know that the duration of visual attention paid to an ad has a direct impact on its performance.

“But until now it wasn’t clear whether creative consistency – or inconsistency – across different formats also affected attention levels.

“These insights show that a focus on creative cohesion throughout the planning process will help ensure the best chance of campaign success”.

Tilson added: “This is particularly pertinent for display advertising, as finding ways to increase the attention potential of standard ads, especially through optimisation methods that don’t require increased budgets, could help lift both short- and long-term profitability of digital ad spends”.




Please login with linkedin to comment

inskin media Lumen Research

Latest News

New Business Wins For We Scout
  • Marketing

New Business Wins For We Scout

Indie comms agency We Scout announces new business wins. Well, you'd hardly announce new business losses, would you?

Oceania map with connection networks.
  • Media

Zenith Wins Superloop’s Media

The Zenith Christmas party set to be a wholly more bawdy, jolly soirée after agency nabs end-of-year win.

Archibald Williams Wins NBA Digital, Activation & Fan Engagement Accounts For APAC
  • Media

Archibald Williams Wins NBA Digital, Activation & Fan Engagement Accounts For APAC

Independent brand and digital agency, Archibald Williams (AW) has been appointed to lead the NBA account across the APAC region. The NBA is one of the most prestigious sporting leagues in the world and basketball is one of the fastest-growing sports in Australia. Effective immediately, AW said it was “excited” to work across all digital, […]

QMS Champions Creativity As First Most Contagious APAC 2023 Sponsor
  • Advertising

QMS Champions Creativity As First Most Contagious APAC 2023 Sponsor

Leading digital outdoor company QMS has announced it is the first-ever inaugural partner for Most Contagious APAC, the landmark London event by creative and strategic intelligence company Contagious, which will be showcased in Australia on Tuesday, 12 December in Sydney and Wednesday, 13 December in Melbourne. Most Contagious is an event that delivers key advertising […]

OMG’s Annalect First To Get Meta’s Advanced Analytics
  • Technology

OMG’s Annalect First To Get Meta’s Advanced Analytics

Omnicom’s data and analytics division Annalect has partnered with Meta, giving it access to Advanced Analytics (AA) – one of Meta’s privacy-focused measurement solutions – to provide Omnicom’s clients with future-proof, next-level measurement. Omnicom is the first holding company to have access to AA. AA allows advertisers to combine their first-party data with Meta’s ads […]

AKQA Launches Eco-Conscious AI DIY Assistant Encouraging People To Gift More Sustainably
  • Technology

AKQA Launches Eco-Conscious AI DIY Assistant Encouraging People To Gift More Sustainably

WPP’s AKQA has launched Fixmas.gift, an environmentally conscious AI-powered DIY assistant, affectionately known as Fixie, for a one-stop solution for all things repair. Fixmas.gift hosts an array of guides and inspiration to empower people to prolong the lives of their belongings or purchase pre-owned items that need a little love and care. Fixie can: Help […]