Drèze and Hussherr (2003) ask why banner click-through collapsed, and whether banners still do anything if people do not click.
Eye-tracking shows surfers avoid looking at banner ads, so most banner processing is pre-attentive and click-through misses it. The same research finds banners still move recall, recognition, and awareness. Repetition affects unaided advertising recall, brand recognition, and brand awareness. The banner’s message affects aided recall and brand recognition.
Method
An eye-tracker recorded where online surfers looked during ordinary browsing. A separate large survey measured recall, recognition, and awareness of banner advertising.
Main findings
- People look away from banners. Low click-through is explained by avoidance, not only by weak creative.
- Clicks are the wrong score. If processing is mostly pre-attentive, click-through understates banner effect.
- Memory measures still move. Repetition raises unaided recall, brand recognition, and awareness. Message content raises aided recall and brand recognition.
Why this is in the Darwin index
This is the early eye-tracking record behind banner blindness. It is the precedent for scoring feed ads on memory and attention rather than on the click alone.
Source of record: doi:10.1002/dir.10063.