30-second summary:
- Ads related to a sales event work best – The Cyber Monday ad featuring a 30% discount was the best performer among the six options. It garnered the most attention with 66% of respondents noticing it and it delivered the highest click rate – 78% more than any other ad.
- Price treatments and simple designs get attention and improve conversion – The ads featuring a price call out, Cyber Monday sale incentive, or minimal design worked best at attracting attention with the price call out ad viewed 18% longer than any other ad.
- Shoppers are looking for a deal – Over 50% of respondents selected an ad featuring a price treatment as “the most visually appealing” alternative.
- Celebrity endorsements need consideration – In our study, the use of a celebrity endorsement worked better on the static ad than the video commercial.
- Video – While the video was noticed faster than any other ad type, shoppers spent the least amount of time viewing it. However, While it performed poorly in terms of attention and purchase intent, video did help bolster brand perception recording the highest response for this metric.
This year Cyber Monday falls on 2nd December. As we edge closer to that date, marketers and businesses around the globe will be strategizing how best to catch consumer attention online, and how best to turn that attention into conversions.
How to Catch the Eye of the Cyber Monday Shopper released this month by Tobii Pro compares how well different types of online ads are able to grab attention and hold it.
It highlights that retailers in the US alone will be spending $6b on digital ads between Black Friday and Cyber Monday. But while dynamic and video ads may be the most successful at grabbing attention – static ads may well be more likely to result in a click during this vital, competitive weekend.
Let’s dive into their recommendations.
Name your price
By using webcam eye tracking technology, Tobii Pro found that ‘named sale’ ads are noticed by a higher majority of people compared to other types such as video and static celebrity endorsements.
Their ‘CYBER MONDAY – 30% OFF’ ad was noticed by 66% of users, exemplifying a good balance of brevity and information.
‘When shoppers are on the hunt for deals,’ the report states, ‘prominent pricing and text indicating that the product is on sale are good visual hooks.’
Keep it simple
According to the report, simplicity is key in the context of static ads. The more information that is crammed into a text ad, the less attention it will receive.
![](https://www.clickz.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/cyber1.png)
Drawing out the data for comparison across static advertisements, informational ads are noticed by 12% fewer consumers than the average of the others tested. 64% of users in the study noticed the ‘simple’ ad – second only to the ‘cyber Monday sale’ ad.
Video needs to work fast
Fast attention grabbing ads are not necessarily better according to the eye tracker data.
‘Compared with a static image ad, the video ad tested in the study captured the eye of the consumer 21% faster,’ the report states. ‘However, that early attention did not translate to sustained attention, as consumers looked at the video ad for about 5X less total time.’
The recommendation is that if advertisers want to capture attention fast and see a click/conversion, video ads need to include branding and a call to action as early as possible. Best practice would suggest that this information should ideally be visible from the outset and for the duration of the entire video ad.
Appeal with the deal
We’ve already seen how the ‘CYBER MONDAY – 30% OFF’ ad works well at grabbing attention. Tobii Pro also found that this approach delivered the highest number of clicks.
Users are prompted to click through if a specific deal or price in relation to Cyber Monday is immediately clear and visible.
‘If you have a great Cyber Monday deal, be loud about it,’ the report states.
Stand out from the crowd
The final recommendation from How to Catch the Eye of the Cyber Monday Shopper highlights the importance of the unfamiliar in the online ad context.
‘Don’t be afraid to be bold, to be different, to try something totally new,’ the report concludes. ‘The best way to grab the attention of your customer is to show them something they’ve never seen before.’
This is an important point to remember – especially as the volume of messaging is set to go into overload between Friday and Monday
Simple ads that show a deal or a saving and prompt the user to click quickly are clearly the best practice approach to grabbing attention and ensuring a greater proportion of customers do make the most of these seasonal deals.
But there needs to be some creativity at play as well. After all, too much of the same type of ad – for many consumers – can start looking like promotional noise.