Which Aspects Do Consumers Focus on When Watching Advertisements? and Where Does their Sight Go?
The answer to this is Eye Tracking: a device for measuring eye positions and eye movement to gauge advertising effectiveness. The importance of using this biometric technique is due to the fact that the rotation of the eye with respect to the material subject of study is tracked.
How Eye Tracking Works
Eye Tracking is a non-intrusive technique with multiple registration possibilities. It measures what the subject observes, the line of sight and even dilation of the pupil. Further, this technology consists of different models of devices named Eye Tracker and software. The former ones use high-tech cameras that need to be calibrated before their use.
By processing algorithms and a 3D physiological model of the eye, visual attentional patterns are obtained. Within those patterns, two aspects stand out: the focus related to the eye contact within a static position; and secondly, saccadic eye movements that indicate the eye changes from one position to another. Thanks to those, it is possible to reliably know both elements and points of interest and the overlooked ones.
Eye Tracking is mainly applied to advertising campaigns and promotional material such as posters or displays. The analysis of eye movements helps to identify some important features while watching ads such as consumer attention or the most attractive elements. Subsequently, the results will determine the message effectiveness and how it influences the audience. For that reason, this technique is used by giants like Microsoft, Google or large advertising agencies to assess their campaigns in the visual market
Eye Tracking Systems
Nowadays, there are many different Eye Tracking systems. Each one of these has advantages and disadvantages, and none is currently efficient enough to stand out above the rest. The two most common are as follows: Eye tracking glasses and or monitor to get eye tracking.
Apart from that, Eye Tracking Technology can be combined with other systems like Head-Up Display or Sociograph®. The former is a device included in vehicles that screens relevant information on the windscreen to avoid distractions while driving., and the later a biometric device to determine the impact, engagement and levels of impact when interacting with dynamic or static stimuli.
In the end, Eye Tracking is a technique that gathers information from the eye movement, and the amount of data obtained means an extra value for brands. And only those that have been able to go one step further are the most successful ones thanks to the combination of traditional research methodologies and technologies.
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