Drastic Measures

I was catching up on my reading with the August issue of the Big Idea when I came across an interesting article. Titled, “Drastic Measures: Gauging the Impact of Advertising,” the article focuses on new technologies for tracking and measuring the effectiveness of advertising. With every new way for consumers to view media, comes a more complicated way to track how and what consumers are viewing. 

                        So how do advertisers know if you saw their banner ad on your favorite website? Eyetracking Eyetools Inc. uses “eye-tracking heatmaps” to help companies see exactly what is catching your eye as you browse their site. Data is complied from focus groups that use special computers to view client websites. Clients can see if there are problems with visibility, copy or design and then make changes based on the feedback.

            Now they can tell what you’re seeing on their website, but what messages are actually making their way into your brain? The lab at Neurofocus in Berkley, CA can give you an idea. Volunteers wear an electrode-covered cap that actually maps the responses of their brains to stimuli. Their brain mapping software can actually show if an ad’s information was transferred into the long-term memory portion of the brain. For participating, volunteers are given a t-shirt with a map of their own brain on it as a “thank-you." 

            Will these technologies replace the traditional focus group? Probably not, but they certainly can provide us with helpful insight to complement current methods of research.

            Click here for more information on Eyetracking Eyetools and their eye-tracking heatmaps. To learn more about mapping brainwaves or to find out how to get your brain mapped on a t-shirt, visit Neurofocus. We’ll be watching!

Sara Wojdacki

Account Executive