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    MARKETING BITES

    Matching Attention to Intention: How to Turn Your Ads into Action

    In today’s fast-paced advertising world, getting people’s attention is just the beginning. With so much information flying at consumers from all directions, it’s not enough to simply grab their eye; advertisers need to connect with people on a personal level in order to influence their purchase decisions.

    Want to plan campaigns that align with the way attention actually works? To better understand consumer behaviour, first we need to know the underlying reasons behind the consumer decision-making process. And then, prioritize frequency and context in advertising over aggressive visibility.

    Curious to find out how subtle interactions can shape trust and memory in advertising? Here is our summary of some great practical insights from industry leaders and practitioners compiled to guide you on the way:

    Understand your consumer’s personal world (“Umwelt”). In a recent LinkedIn post, Mike Follett, CEO at Lumen Research, says: “It’s not true that EVERYBODY ignores advertising. It’s true that, at least online, MOST people ignore MOST ads MOST of the time. But that also means that the reciprocal is true: SOME people look at SOME ads SOME of the time.” Who exactly are the people who stop and stare at a digital ad for as long as 8 seconds?

    In order to find out, Mike Follett applies the theory of the nineteenth century Estonian biologist Jakob von Uexküll who posited the existence of Umwelts – the unique, subjective worlds each organism (or perhaps consumer!) inhabits. As Follett explains, Umwelt is the personal “world” shaped by what each individual notices and values. For example, for dog owners, dog food ads can be remarkably interesting. For cat people, not so much. Merkwelt refers to the part of the environment we perceive (images of dogs carry more meaning for dog owners than cat owners, and so will be more likely to trigger focused attention – or at least less likely to set off ad evasion procedures). Wirkwelt is the world of action – what consumers can do with the messages they perceive. Sometimes it’s only worth engaging with the things that you can actually affect – what you can make a difference *to* impacts what is worth looking *at*, in Follett’s words. Lumen Research data shows that these differences in consumer Umwelts are not trivial. They determine what gets attention and, ultimately, what drives results. Follett’s advice? To make advertising work, brands need to step into their audience’s shoes – understanding their audience’s Umwelt to earn attention and engagement. He concludes: Matching ATTENTION to INTENTION is where the money is to be made.

    Consider context – the key factor influencing how people engage with ads. In the discussion following Mike Follet’s presentation of the Umwelt theory, the renowned Marketing Professor Mark Ritson shares a valuable insight: after doing part of his PhD on this topic, it became abundantly clear to him that creative, targeting and even media choices were not the driving factor in people paying attention to ads. It was context. Not the media context in which the ad is placed, but the socio-environmental context that the audience inhabits. “Context eats targeting for breakfast”, says Ritson, to which Jan-Olver Hess, another participant in the discussion, adds: “If content is king, then context is emperor.” We couldn’t agree more. For further valuable insights on the importance of context in advertising, dive into our previous article here.

    Prioritize brief, repeated exposure to an ad over a single, prolonged viewing. According to Mike Follett, this was one of the central learnings from the Havas Media Network ‘Attention to Intention’ research into digital display advertising with Brand Metrics, echoing work done by Lumen Research with JCDecaux, Clearchannel and Kinetic. To understand it better, we need to refer to the psychological principle known as the “Mere Exposure Effect” that was introduced by Robert Zajonc in the 1960s. Zajonc’s groundbreaking work demonstrated that the more frequently we are exposed to something – even without consciously concentrating on it – the more likely we are to develop positive feelings towards it. Familiarity breeds comfort, and comfort fosters trust.

    The Havas/Brand Metrics/Lumen study investigated the relationship between ad exposure, attention and shifts in memory and purchase intent for 9000 digital ad campaigns. The findings consistently validate Zajonc’s theory. Many small glimpses of an ad, repeated over time, can be more effective at influencing behaviour than a single, long exposure. Why? Because our brains are wired to recognize patterns. Each fleeting exposure, even if it’s just for a fraction of a second, nudges your brand into the realm of the familiar – and therefore the likeable and trustworthy. Follett emphasizes that the goal isn’t to make people stare at your ad for 30 seconds – it’s to show up consistently and repeatedly, creating a web of micro-memories that add up to something powerful. The best part? The “Mere Exposure Effect” works even when people are passively engaged because it’s not about forcing attention but about earning trust through subtle, repeated familiarity.

    Show up where your audience is. Mohamed Ali, Director Paid Search at GroupM, contributes to the discussion by saying that while some consumers engage deeply with ads in their ‘relevant Umwelt moments’ (the so-called “8-second weirdos”), Lee and Ahn’s eye-tracking studies show that even ‘avoided’ ads can influence brand attitudes. He also refers to Robert Zajonc’s groundbreaking discovery made already in 1968: people don’t need to consciously remember seeing something to be influenced by it. The “Mere Exposure Effect” as a finding fundamentally challenges the entire premise of brand lift studies. Therefore, in Ali’s opinion, we need to dramatically reshape our approach to measuring advertising effectiveness. Instead of focusing solely on what people remember, we need to look at how advertising shapes behaviour through both conscious and unconscious channels.

    Something else – according to the psychological reactance theory developed by Jack Brehm in the 1960s, when ads aggressively demand attention, they create the so-called ‘reactance’ – our natural resistance to feeling manipulated. The “Mere Exposure Effect” works precisely because it doesn’t trigger our psychological defences.

    According to GroupM’s Mohamed Ali, we are optimizing for conscious awareness when the real impact might lie in subtle, unconscious exposure. In his view, perhaps the sweet spot is designing for both states – capturing attention when consumers are receptive while building unconscious familiarity the rest of the time.

    Ready to captivate your consumers and become their first choice? Novelty Media, via SmartAdd, offers a truly innovative mobile media channel. By design, attention is at the heart of our solution, using carefully curated micro-moments that capture it in a non-intrusive way. Through compelling video content tailored for mobile devices, your brand will successfully match attention with intention, show up where your audience is and serve ads that are not only interesting but also truly relevant to the context. The result? Memorable campaigns leading to real actions from consumers. Plus, in a time when privacy matters more than ever, you will build trust while ensuring that your ads remain effective and ethical.

    Interested? Join our global advertisers who consistently choose our platform for their content needs. SmartAdd is fully endorsed by Mobile Operators, ensuring that brands connect solely with verified human subscribers. Reach out to us today to discover more about our solution and experience the difference!

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