October 25, 2024

Tags

Eye-tracking

How to Capture the Focus of Gen Z: Using Ad Attention Measurement

Generation Z, aged 27 and younger, spends a lot of time online and is an important market segment. Yet, they have the shortest attention span for commercials. Understanding what captures their interest is crucial for marketers who want to design effective ads. Read more on how to approach this using attention measurement in this research project from Communication Sciences graduate student Pim Sommerdijk from the Radboud University. 

The Role of Humor and Audiovisual Synchrony

For the experiment ads were tested that differed in humor and audio-visual synchrony. Existing commercials were cleverly manipulated by adding/removing comedic elements and adding synchronous or asynchronous sound effects. Using FaceReader Online’s eye tracking technology, the duration of gaze towards these additional visuals was measured. Read more details about the study on the guest blog at our partner Noldus website

The research shows that humor is a key factor in engaging Gen Z. Ads with strong comedic elements held attention longer by triggering conscious focus. A crucial finding is that eye-tracking shows significant effects of humor and sound synchronization, whereas self-report does not.

FaceReader Online as a tool for Attention Measurement

This study highlights the power of attention measurement for ad engagement. FaceReader Online can provide real-time, objective data, offering a more direct understanding of how ads impact viewers compared to traditional surveys. These insights can help determine advertisement length and pacing to align with Gen Z’s attention span, ensuring that the message is delivered effectively.

Setting up a study is simple: FaceReader Online is easy to integrate with a survey tool, such as Qualtrics. An online study makes gathering a large amount of data easy. In addition, once collected the (group/task) filters make it easy to compare emotion and gaze statistics. 

Interested in how FaceReader Online can improve your ad campaigns? Find out more about the technology here.

Attention can be measured by capturing the gaze fixations for specific areas of a video.

Recent Posts

January 31, 2025
November 29, 2024
September 23, 2024
May 29, 2024
March 10, 2024
July 17, 2023

Request a free trial

Get your free example report

Get your free whitepaper