We recently found ourselves at an intriguing conference where some of the best consumer psychology students presented their latest research.
One piece that really caught our eye related to the impact of where actors and models were looking in print and video advertisements.
In this brilliant study, six different print ads and two video ads were analysed. Each was for the same product but created differently so that the models were looking either at the audience or at the advertised product.
Though it was believed that a model looking directly to the audience would have a stronger positive impact on viewer attitudes and perceptions, it was actually found that participants were more likely to positively rate products when models were looking directly at at the product.
Not only did a model looking at a product significantly improve ratings such as:
'quality'
‘value’
‘likelihood to purchase’
But eye-tracking results showed a longer average attention time too.
So, next time you’re looking to create killer content, consider exactly what it is your models are focusing on by paying particular consideration to 'eye gaze'. By doing so you can catch and hold your audience's attention, trigger interest, and influence conversions.
If you would like to gain a better understanding of some of the fascinating science that can impact both digital and traditional marketing, please get in touch today.
Images are for illustrative purposes only and were not used in the study..