Advertising enters the virtual world: Opportunities have been exploited to the full

Abstract

Purpose

Presents how advertising is being developed for use on the internet

Design/methodology/approach

The reactions of more than 3,500 participants to 249 adverts were tested, and included the use of eye‐tracking devices which gauged reactions in terms of average gaze duration.

Findings

The findings supported hypotheses relating to the negative effect of feature complexity and the positive effect of design complexity. The former hurts brand attention and attitude to the ad, while the latter helps people to focus on the images and aids overall understanding. This is important for the industry because design complexity is entirely within the control of practitioners.

Originality/value

Presents a change in opinion regarding “visual clutter”, in that it was assumed that by slowing down the reader, his or her attention to the material would increase. The writers now believe that too much visual detail can be harmful and prevents people from paying attention to the brand and is more likely to create a negative attitude.

Citation

(2011), "Advertising enters the virtual world: Opportunities have been exploited to the full", Strategic Direction, Vol. 27 No. 2, pp. 18-21. https://doi.org/10.1108/02580541111103936