Creative Approach in Advertising as a Tool to Influence Audiences

Abstract

The use of creative elements in advertising is considered to be an effective way to influence the audience, but their perception is subjective and is associated with several factors. Many empirical studies using quantitative methods show that creative content is more appealing and better remembered than ordinary commercials.  Studies using physiological measurements are few and focus on the ability of creative advertisements to retain attention and memorability.  The main hypothesis of the study is that original and unexpected elements in advertisements can distract the audience's attention from the brand. The research methods included an experiment on tracking eye movement using an infrared eye tracker, supplemented by a survey of experimental participants. The authors analyzed oculomotor activity indicators, gaze movement graphs, and heat maps.  As a result of the study, a comparative analysis of metrics (Returns, Saccade count, etc.) showed a greater desire among the participants of the experiment to consider and study creative visual content.  Measurements of the two areas of attention in the image and the analysis of heat maps confirmed the main hypothesis. The second stage of the study (the survey) also showed that associative ideas stimulated by non-trivial creative content were not always associated with the product advertised. However, according to the respondents, creative advertisements sufficiently convey the meaning of the commercial offer. The survey made it possible to summarize other issues and risks that need to be considered when applying a creative advertising strategy. The research results provide advertisers with the opportunity to achieve a balance between creativity and commercial goals, as well as reduce the risk of losing product focus in advertising.