BY Kathy Crosett
Are your clients wondering whether anyone notices their ads or other forms of messaging? It’s a fair question in today’s hyperconnected world. The VCCP Media group worked with marketing professor Dr. Karen Nelson-Field to understand how creative strategy in advertising breaks through the short-attention economy.
Buying Attention with a Creative Strategy in Advertising
With so many digital formats competing for our attention, researchers studied how well the concept of buying a person’s attention is working. When your accounts place digital advertising, they are attempting to buy attention.
The details matter, right down to the second. Dr. Nelson-Field points out, “85% of digital advertising gets less than 2.5 seconds of attention.” Is that enough time to make an impression on a potential buyer? Historically, it hasn’t been, reports Dr. Nelson-Field.
Active and Passive Attention
She differentiates between different types of attention. Consumers who are in active attention mode are “deliberate and focused.” As they take in content, they’re using their working memory. In a passive attention situation, such as when driving and listening to content, consumers might hear an ad. And they might remember the brand, but their primary focus is more about driving or parking the vehicle, etc.
VCCP Media analysts encourage marketers to engage both the active and passive attention of the target audience. Dr. Nelson-Fields introduces the concept of an “attention flywheel.” During active attention, ads should capture the imagination of consumers by providing new information. Marketers can then reinforce messaging by addressing passive attention. However, addressing active attention in messaging is “7x more predictive of outcomes.”
If your accounts aren’t reaching for the active attention of the target audience, they won’t be optimizing their advertising investment. They'll need to improve their creative strategy in advertising.
How to Create an Impactful Ad
Researchers studied how magicians are able to entertain and deceive audiences. They analyzed creativity in advertising through the lens of magician tactics. Specifically, they report, “repetition reinforces comprehension of brand assets.” And appealing to an individual’s emotions “amplifies…attention and enhances ad memorability.”
Using Cues
Marketers face another challenge, especially when they design videos to run on social media and/or mobile apps. Dr. Nelson-Fields discusses cues – a critical aspect of ad design. Think of this aspect as branding. If your accounts have invested in logos and taglines, colors and typefaces, consumers, over time, will recognize these cues in an ad. Using these cues in ads will increase the chance of purchasing consideration by consumers.
In addition, marketers can adjust other aspects of the creative work such as characters used and voice, to develop a distinctive message where no element is wasted. A creative strategy in advertising is required to stand out from the competition.
Matching Creative Style to the Media Platform
Your accounts may believe that using the same creative campaign across multiple types of media formats will yield comparable results. The purpose of the VCCP Media study was to determine whether this belief is true.
As your accounts strive to develop the best creative strategy in advertising, they should know that their efforts and investment matter. Researchers measured a 25% difference in audience time focused on an ad when comparing the “best and worst performing creative.” That finding provides clear incentive to develop the best creative content. The longer a consumer takes in an ad, the more likely they are to remember it and the brand.
There’s an even greater difference between the best and worst performing media formats. The “general web” can only deliver one second of attention. Getting to 2.5 seconds measurably increases an ad’s attention time.
The New Attention Threshold
After analyzing detailed studies on many campaigns and brands, Dr. Nelson-Field emphasizes the importance of “distinctive assets.” With placing cues, such as distinctive assets, in an ad for a brand known to the audience, memories can be formed with exposures as short as 1.5 seconds. “Even in short exposures, distinctive assets boost the chance of being remembered (MA) by 6% and considered (STAS) by 6.7% compared to non-distinctive creative.” This finding is great news for marketers who must constantly find ways to stand out from the competition.
To understand which media formats most impact your account’s target audience, check out AudienceSCAN, powered by AdMall. And in the search for a creative strategy in advertising, review the suggested ideas in AdMall for messaging, content and keywords.
