Fairfax Media study finds advertisers have ‘milliseconds’ to capture audience

Fairfax Media has launched a campaign featuring 360 video and an eye tracking research study, concluding that advertisers have just a millisecond to capture viewers attention.Using desktops and smartphones the study tracked the visual behaviour of SMH.com.au readers, giving users smart glasses which tracked the activity of their eyes as they read.

In partnership with Gateway Research, the research uncovered the science behind a good ad, finding key digital advertising insights, such as:

• Advertisers have milliseconds to grasp the attention of viewers.
• Creative messages should be brand appropriate, and concise with a clear and simple message.
• Contrasting colours and a prominent logo demand more attention.
• Native content has a significantly higher ad recall
• Positioning is imperative
• Size is important

Tom Armstrong, Fairfax Media commercial director, said: “This Eye Tracking Study provides definitive insights on our audience’s behaviour across our digital news mastheads and allows us to continue to evolve our ad solutions to deliver engaged audiences for our clients.

“This study provides our advertisers with insights about the most effective formats and placements, the value of native, and guidelines for creative to ensure brands create more effective experiences for audiences across our network.”