Attention Grabbers: an Exploration of the Automatic Categorization of Advertisement Headlines

ABSTRACT - The research presented here draws on previous research in preattentive processing and automaticity and investigates new ways for marketers to elicit attention to their advertisements. The study finds support for the hypothesis that advertising headlines located in the periphery are semantically processed prior to conscious attention and that these headlines are able to initiate automatic categorization that leads to differential shifts in attention. Using Signal Detection Theory measures and a second study, we were able to eliminate alternative explanations such as differential memorability of individual words employed, differential decay in memory of the two types of stimuli, and response bias.

Citation:

Jesper Nielsen and Charlotte Mason (2001) ,"Attention Grabbers: an Exploration of the Automatic Categorization of Advertisement Headlines", in NA - Advances in Consumer Research Volume 28, eds. Mary C. Gilly and Joan Meyers-Levy, Valdosta, GA : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 448.

Advances in Consumer Research Volume 28, 2001     Page 448

ATTENTION GRABBERS: AN EXPLORATION OF THE AUTOMATIC CATEGORIZATION OF ADVERTISEMENT HEADLINES

Jesper Nielsen, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Charlotte Mason, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

ABSTRACT -

The research presented here draws on previous research in preattentive processing and automaticity and investigates new ways for marketers to elicit attention to their advertisements. The study finds support for the hypothesis that advertising headlines located in the periphery are semantically processed prior to conscious attention and that these headlines are able to initiate automatic categorization that leads to differential shifts in attention. Using Signal Detection Theory measures and a second study, we were able to eliminate alternative explanations such as differential memorability of individual words employed, differential decay in memory of the two types of stimuli, and response bias.

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