Forget \'banner blindness\', your message is visible online, but it will not equal success!

1. FORGET BANNER BLINDNESS,
START FOCUSING ON YOUR MESSAGE

2. Online eyetracking study
in a co-operation with

3. KEY INSIGHTS

4. People do see banner ads
• So forget the ‘banner blindness’ theory.
• People see advertising online, and as a matter of
fact, they usually see it even better than other
content on the website.
52 %
of online ads are seen
100 % 0%
saw the best ad saw the worst ad

5. Placement has an huge impact
on ad visibility
• Ad placement on top of the page has
a higher visibility than other
placements on the website.
• Placements below fold are basically
invisible for most of the website
viewers.

6. …but also the time on the first fixation
• Ad placements on top of the page are
usually seen right after main navigation
menu.
• In bigger ad formats, the top ad was seen
as a first thing after landing the website.
On average it took from
0.5 seconds to
14.5 seconds
to notice an ad on the website.

7. …and the time spent on the ad
• Ad placement on top of the
page has a higher
visibility, but it also retains
attention longer.
• Best and biggest adverts got
astonishing 8-13 seconds
time spent on ad as the
worst ads got only 0,1
seconds. This SCA Libresse ad gazed
people’s attention for 9,5
seconds

8. High visibility ≠ success
• Even though your ad gets Best ad was recalled by
an high visibility rate on
the website, it does not 96 % of people, but the average recall
mean that it will succeed value for ads was as low as
in the end.
• People will forget what
38 %.
they saw just few seconds The thing connecting all the best
ago and ad recall proves it. recalled ads was the association of
the message.
People have to understand the
reason for your communication in
two seconds.

9. CONTENT is still KING
Collection of the best
understood ads.

10. CONCLUSIONS

11. Conclusions
1. Become familiar with how the website audience uses the
website!
• If the ad placement is on top of the page it is usually a smart choice to sell/or buy the
placement based on impressions.
2. Buy/sell the placements on right of the page or below fold
based on action or actual impressions.
• These adverts are invisible for most of the visitors on the website, but can drive traffic
and activate people after consuming the content they looked for from the website.
3. Start focusing on your message and how to best
communicate it with your audience.
• The advertising message should be simple enough so people can
understand it in two seconds.

12. METHODOLOGY

13. 40 websites, 110 adverts and
11 advertisers
• In total 1,200 Finns let EyeTrackShop record their eye-
movements on 40 different websites.
• The respondents were exposed to 110 adverts from 11
different advertisers.
• EyeTrackShop conducted the study during March-April
2012, commissioned by Aegis Media Finland.

14. How we did it
EyeTrackShop build mock-ups of …and send it out to the
the pages that should be tested respondents all over Finland
Respondents receive a mail on their …and given easy on-screen
web cam equipped computer… information and instructions

15. How we did it
Respondent are asked to permit …and are guided into position
ETS access to the web cam… with easy on-line tools…
The stimuli is presented on the …and given easy on-screen
screen and respondent’s gaze is information and instructions
recorded

16. Aegis Group is the world’s leading media and digital
communications group. Made up of Aegis Media
(Carat, Vizeum, Posterscope, Isobar and iProspect)
and Aztec, the scan data services business.
Aegis Group helps clients build consumer
relationships by communicating their products and
brands effectively.
Aegis Group is constantly pioneering the worlds of
media communications and market research. It is the
only global marketing services group focused on the
two most strategically significant disciplines in
marketing today, and it consistently grows faster than
its markets.
AEGIS MEDIA
REINVENTING THE WAY BRANDS ARE BUILT

17. For more information contact:
Jukka Veteläinen, Insight Manager – Aegis Media Finland
Email: jukka.vetelainen@aemedia.com
LinkedIn: http://fi.linkedin.com/in/jukkavetelainen