ORIGINALITY
People pay more attention to things they have never seen before. Originality is key to advertising effectiveness.
 
INTRIGUE
Unusual, unexpected imagery or text makes people curious to understand what they are seeing. This makes them spend longer looking at the ad trying to figure it out. Visual metaphors tend to be effective. Posing a question in the ad’s headline can also work well because our brains are hard-wired to try to think of an answer. Generating intrigue ensures viewers spend at least some mental energy processing your advertising.
 
VISUAL CLARITY
People’s attention is drawn to imagery that is clear and stands out from our visually complex world. Using uncluttered designs, minimal words and strong, contrasting colours can help.
 
EMOTION
Showing emotionally charged imagery helps an ad get noticed. This is why so many ads feature cute babies, cuddly animals, or gorgeous people. These elements are so common, in fact, that ads using them might be ignored due to their lack of originality. Controversial or shocking imagery also provokes an emotional response and can be highly effective in advertising, if used with thought and sensitivity.
 
DIRECT GAZE
If a person depicted in an ad looks directly at the viewer, the viewer can’t help but have their emotions stirred. This is known as the gaze induction effect. It is an effective technique for drawing people into an ad.
 
PERSONAL RESONANCE
In the same way as we pick out our name being mentioned at a noisy gathering, we are attuned to notice any visual elements or words that personally resonate. Showing things that many of the target audience can immediately identify with is a good way to grab attention. If technology allows the advertising to be personalized to individual viewers, this could take its impact to the next level, but care must be taken not to violate people’s privacy.
 
The trick is to harness the attention gained in these ways (and many others) while ensuring viewers register the brand and remember positive, relevant things about it.