Marketing Communications

296 CHAPTER 9 ADVERTISING RESEARCH

together with the other ads. Th e subject is asked to look at the ads, and some time later (20

or 30 minutes), the recall test takes place. Th e subject has to name the ads and the brands,

as well as the content of the ad that he or she can remember. Ads that are more frequently

recognised are assumed to have drawn the attention better, and are therefore better ads.

Recall tests have a number of severe limitations. First of all, more than anything else, the

memory of the individual as such is tested. People with a good memory will recall more ads

and more of the content of the ads. Th is does not necessarily mean that the ads tested are

good ones. Furthermore, product category involvement plays an important role. Th e more

one is interested in a certain product (because one is planning to buy it in the near future, for

instance), the more attention is paid to the ad, and the better it is recalled. Finally, very oft en

the recall test is carried out very briefl y aft er the exposure. Th e subject does not really have

time to forget the ad. Ideally, the time between the exposure and the recall test should be as

long as the time between the exposure and the buying situation in real life, but this can hardly

be organised in a controlled experiment like the portfolio test.

Attention is the first barrier a message has to pass to make an impact, and emotion helps to create a lasting impact.

The research company MediaAnalyzer, with offices in Hamburg and New York, and representatives in various other

countries, developed attention tracking and emotion tracking pre-tests to provide objective measures to improve

the impact of advertising.^8 Unlike traditional eye-tracking (which takes place in a laboratory situation, and is time-

consuming and expensive), participants can perform the test at home, the procedure is fast and cost-efficient, large

samples can be recruited and quantitative analyses can be carried out. The AttentionTracker records manual

response (mouse clicks) to measure visual attention. The test ad is shown in a series of other ads in an editorial

context. The respondents follow their gaze with the mouse by clicking the spot they are looking at. Comparative

tests show that the correlation between eye movement measurement of attention and mouse clicks is over 90%.

The EmotionTracker measures the emotional response to the sequences of a TV commercial. An online tool

makes it possible to record the emotional experience of the respondent while he or she is viewing a TV commercial.

A mouse movement towards the left indicates a negative emotion and a mouse movement to the right a positive

one. Through a change in the background colour to red (negative), green (positive) or white (neutral), the par-

ticipants receive direct feedback on their current emotional rating of the commercial. The respondents are able to

concentrate fully on the test commercial; there is no distraction through scrolling or answering questions about

their feelings. The technology reveals which scenes are the central emotional contributors to the commercial,

whether the commercial is able to hold the emotion or break at some point, and allows understanding of the

emotionally successful elements in a TV commercial.

As in other pre-tests of this kind, the technology can be used to select the most appropriate ad and/or to

optimise the structure and flow of a TV commercial or a print ad in that it can measure focal points of attention

and flow of attention towards ads.

RESEARCH INSIGHT

Attention and emotion tracking as a measure of advertising impact

In direct opinion measurement tests , a jury of customers is exposed to a number of ads and

asked to rate the ads on a number of characteristics. Most of the standardised ad testing pro-

cedures of advertising agencies, which enable them to compare test results over time, are of

this type. Ad elements that can be tested are: clarity, novelty, evoked feelings, evoked attitude

towards the ad and the brand, interest, quality of the information, the extent to which an ad

induces the person to buy the product, etc.^9

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