The New Science of Viral Ads
TEAMWORK Creative people aren’t the only ones needed in radicalinnovation groups
DEFEND YOUR RESEARCH Hard-to-read type improves readers’ recall
VISION STATEMENT Technology adoption affects national wealth
COLUMN Erskine Bowles on making sacrifices to invest in America’s future
The New Science of Viral Ads
FIRST
I
ILLUSTRATION: CAMERON LAW
Five techniques can help companies make commercials that people will watch and share by Thales Teixeira t’s the holy grail of digital marketing: the viral ad, a pitch that large numbers of viewers decide to share with family and friends. Several techniques derived from new technology can help advertisers attain this. In our research, two colleagues and I use infrared eye-tracking scanners to determine exactly what people are looking at when they watch video ads. We also use a system that analyzes facial expressions to reveal what viewers are feeling. These technologies make it possible to isolate elements that cause people to stop watching and to nd ones that keep them engaged. In addition, they make it possible to determine what kinds of ads are most likely to be shared and what types of people are most likely to share them. Here are ve big problems online advertisers face, along with solutions that have emerged from our research. PROBLEM eyes. They also focus on logos. This isn’t the boon it might seem: The more prominent or intrusive the logo, the more likely viewers are to stop watching— even if they know and like the brand. Why? People seem to have an unconscious aversion to being persuaded, so when they see a logo, they resist.
When people watch ads, they focus on a few things, such as the actors’ mouths and
Prominent Branding Puts Off Viewers
weave the brand image throughout the ad. Experiments have shown that this can increase viewership by as much as 20%. One of the best examples of the technique is
March 2012 Harvard Business Review 25
The solution: Utilize “brand pulsing.” Smart
DEFEND YOUR RESEARCH Hard-to-read type improves readers’ recall
VISION STATEMENT Technology adoption affects national wealth
COLUMN Erskine Bowles on making sacrifices to invest in America’s future
The New Science of Viral Ads
FIRST
I
ILLUSTRATION: CAMERON LAW
Five techniques can help companies make commercials that people will watch and share by Thales Teixeira t’s the holy grail of digital marketing: the viral ad, a pitch that large numbers of viewers decide to share with family and friends. Several techniques derived from new technology can help advertisers attain this. In our research, two colleagues and I use infrared eye-tracking scanners to determine exactly what people are looking at when they watch video ads. We also use a system that analyzes facial expressions to reveal what viewers are feeling. These technologies make it possible to isolate elements that cause people to stop watching and to nd ones that keep them engaged. In addition, they make it possible to determine what kinds of ads are most likely to be shared and what types of people are most likely to share them. Here are ve big problems online advertisers face, along with solutions that have emerged from our research. PROBLEM eyes. They also focus on logos. This isn’t the boon it might seem: The more prominent or intrusive the logo, the more likely viewers are to stop watching— even if they know and like the brand. Why? People seem to have an unconscious aversion to being persuaded, so when they see a logo, they resist.
When people watch ads, they focus on a few things, such as the actors’ mouths and
Prominent Branding Puts Off Viewers
weave the brand image throughout the ad. Experiments have shown that this can increase viewership by as much as 20%. One of the best examples of the technique is
March 2012 Harvard Business Review 25
The solution: Utilize “brand pulsing.” Smart