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Getting the User’s Attention: The Effectiveness of Two Mediums of Online Advertising. David Orr Steve Pautz Chris Coker Katherine Hinds Mandy Elkins {dorr, spautz, clcoker, hindsk, elkinsa}@clemson.edu. Abstract.
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Getting the User’s Attention:The Effectiveness of Two Mediums of Online Advertising David Orr Steve Pautz Chris Coker Katherine Hinds Mandy Elkins {dorr, spautz, clcoker, hindsk, elkinsa}@clemson.edu
Abstract • Study to determine which type of internet ad is more effective at capturing user attention • Static, animated • Participants engaged in a visual search of a web page • Eye tracker data used to determine fixations within the banner ad • Recognition task was given after the web page to determine how well the adds promoted recognition memory
Previous Research: Strayer, Drews, and Johnston • Participants drove simulated highway talking on cell phone or not • Cell phone conversation impaired memory for billboards • Eye tracker showed 2/3 of billboards fixated on during experiment • Indicates failure of divided attention
Previous Research: Benway and Lane • Study concerning banner objects • Questions could either be answered using text links or banners • Text link questions answered 94% of the time, banner questions answered 58% of the time • Altering grouping of banner did not change results • “Banner Blindness”
Previous Research: Yantis and the New Object Hypothesis • Salient events like motion often thought to capture attention • User presented with large letter comprised of smaller letters. Asked to name identity of the larger letter • One of the small letters sometimes exhibited motion, response slower during these trials • New objects in scene may automatically receive high attentional priority
Four Hypotheses • Members of the alternating banner group will perform more fixations on ads than the static banner group • Members of the alternating group will exhibit longer search times • Members of the alternating banner group will have increased recognition memory for the ads • Members of the alternating banner group will exhibit a more negative attitude toward the advertisements
Methods • Participants searched a simulated website for the answers to six questions. • Alternating banners or static banners present on the screen during the search task. • Participants’ eyes were tracked as they searched the experimental website.
Independent Variable • Type of banner advertisement present - Static banner advertisement - Alternating banner advertisement • Variable manipulated between subjects • Participants randomly assigned to either group
IV: Banner Advertisements • Six ads, each one advertising a different product, each ad shown only once • Each ad shown for the length of one question, ad shown changed each time the participant clicks the “Done” button and returned to the homepage • Order in which the ads were presented randomized using a Latin Square design
Dependent Variables • Attention capture, measured by the number of fixations performed in the ROI (banner area) during entire experiment • Search times for the experimental questions • Implicit memory for the advertisement content, measured by a recognition task • Attitude toward the ads, measured by a questionnaire
Participants • 10 participants • 2 male, 8 female • Age range 18-21
Materials • Simulated website implemented in C++ and OpenGL • Replicated an Internet news site, The Herald Online • Contained buttons and text links for the user to click on • Banner always present at the top center of the screen
Materials • Recognition task implemented in Flash and taken online • Shown 12 images of ads, only 6 of which had actually been present during the experiment • Attitude questionnaire
Procedure • Six questions asked, one at a time, each one read aloud to participants • Participants clicked a “Done” button present on the screen before stating the answer they found aloud • Participants who made incorrect answers were allowed to move on • All search times measured with a stopwatch, began when experimenter finished reading question aloud, ended when participant clicked “Done” button
Procedure • During experiment, participants were presented with 6 different banner advertisements • Used eye tracker to measure total number of fixations • Each question had a different banner • Banner changed only when participant clicked “Done”
Procedure • After completing the search task, participants performed the recognition task using a web browser • Participants then completed the attitude questionnaire (Answered on a 5 point Likert-type scale)
Results: Average Number of Fixations • Static banner group made an average of 43 fixations (SD=54.19). • Alternating banner group made an average of 166 fixations (SD=224.8). • No significant differences between the alternating banner group and the static banner group (p=0.27). • Alternating banner group made more overall fixations than the static banner group.
Results: Search Times • No significant difference between the groups for each of the experimental questions. • Alternating banner group had a higher overall mean search time than the static banner group (p=0.04).
Results: Recognition Task • Scored as a ratio of hits and a ratio of false alarms • Alternating banner group exhibited ratios closer to chance (.50) • Static banner group performed better on recognition task
Results: Attitude Survey • Answered using a 5 point Likert-type scale • Both groups exhibited a neutral attitude toward the ads that were presented • No significant differences between the groups for each question mean
Discussion • Neither banner ad was significantly more effective at capturing user attention • The number of fixations did not promote the recognition memory for the ads • Contrary to the hypothesis, both groups exhibited a neutral attitude toward the banners ads • Overall users pay little attention to the banner ads which supports the idea of “Banner Blindness” • Further research on the topic should investigate other forms of Internet advertising
