Ad context increases memorability up to 40%, according to new biometric research from Integral Ad Science (IAS) and Neuro-Insight.
‘Using the latest neuroscience and neurometrics, this study demonstrates the specific ways that a webpage’s context can dramatically alter how audiences recall and respond to ads,’ said Tony Marlow, CMO, IAS. ‘As our industry prepares for a cookieless future and increasingly moves away from audience targeting, advertisers have a significant opportunity to be intentional with contextual targeting tools to drive greater campaign outcomes.’
Consumers evaluated content across three types of contextual matching and IAS uncovered these key findings:
- Endemically matched ads drive higher memorability. These drove a 23% lift in activation within the part of the brain responsible for memory of practical details, which includes key messages, calls to action, and branding elements. These ads also boosted global memory by 27%, or the memorability of broad themes, overarching narratives, or audio and visual elements.
- Informational ads perform best when matched with an article’s key message. This creates a very strong detail memory response, and drove a 36% lift in detail memory compared to when there was no match. This can be especially relevant for campaigns that focus on a clear call to action that brands want consumers to respond to.
- Ads focused on an emotional response are best paired with content themes. Ads that aim to leave an emotional memory, a particular feeling or overarching brand perception performed best when placed alongside articles with a matching theme. The study found that emotive ads drove 40% higher global memory within thematically-matched articles compared to when there was no match.
- Consumers recognize ads as part of their online experience: The vast majority of consumers (63%) viewed ads as part of their online reading, not disruptive or a distraction. Only 36% of participants said they scrolled past an ad without reading it.