How attention works and how to guide it

The importance of attention in marketing

Knowing well?how attention works?is crucial for any marketer.

An?enormous amount of sensory information?bombards us every day.

Therefore, it is essential to know?how to get our message noticed.

Simply presenting a message is not enough, so how do we make us stand out from the crowd?

At the end of this article I will share with you?7 useful tips?to always keep in mind.

TWO TYPES OF ATTENTION

In this article we will focus mainly on?visual attention?which is the mechanism we use to make a selection from all of the visual information available.

Once the?object?to focus on is?selected, we will be able to process only this one, whereas we will filter the others out.

There are?two types of mechanisms:?bottom-up?and?top-down.

Whereas the?bottom-up?guidance of our attention is determined by the?characteristics of the stimulus,?top-down?guidance of attention refers to our?intentions.

But let’s look at both in detail.

Bottom-up attention

To explain well how this works I show you the following image.?

Without a doubt, the?first thing you notice?is the red pawn.

Why? Well simple, because it is?the only one different from the others.

The drawing of attention to a pop-out object is an?automatic process?and one over which we have no control.

Our brain?shifts our focus instantly?to information that deviates from what we expect?to see.

This key point is one that all advertisers should keep in mind.

Let’s make an example. You are standing in front of a?shelf full of shampoo containers?and they all have very soft colors: light blue, white, teal, etc.

If inside the shelf were?Garnier?products, I am 100 percent sure that your attention would be drawn to its?bright green packaging.

This phenomenon occurs precisely because of bottom-up attention.

Do you want your product to be noticed instantly? Try to make it?stand out?perceptually from others.

Top-down attention

This kind of attention is different; we are the ones who decide and guide our gaze.

We can?voluntarily shift our focus, depending on our current?goals and intentions.

In this case we decide when and where to move attention. Therefore, it is past experiences that guide our visual attention.

7 useful tips

Based on the above, I leave you with?7 ways to capture consumers’ attention.

1. Correctly use images of faces

Faces?automatically capture our bottom-up attention.

If we combine this information with the knowledge that?the focus of viewers always follows the direction of model’s gaze, then it can be very easy to direct customers’ attention.

I wrote “correct use” of faces because one must always keep in mind that?your product should be the focal point, not the model.

2. Take context into consideration

What is the?setting?in which your message appears?

A red lettering stands out if the background is white, but if it is surrounded by other red objects it will not be noticed so easily.

3. Make essential advertising elements stand out

As we mentioned before?attention is limited.

Prioritize essential advertising elements such as logos, slogans, plots and make those stand out.

Consider investing in?eye-tracking?to understand?which elements attract and retain attention.

4. Avoid obtrusive branding

Researchers have found that?prominent branding?in television commercials?discourages viewers, even if they know and like the brand.

This happens because brands placed too prominently are associated with?intrusive persuasion.

5. Meet packaging design expectations

Appropriate colors bring intrinsic and immediate value to a brand.

Be careful about any?changes you want to make to the packaging?because if it changes too much?people may no longer recognize it.

6. Know what your customer is doing

Understanding?what your customer is doing when they see your message?is crucial to have their attention.

For example,?if your customer is reading, it is better to place?information thinly between textrather than flanking it with flashy text.

This might seem a bit counterintuitive, but consider that?focused attention makes a reader not notice large, loud messages.

7. Be emotional

I have often spoken with you about the?importance of emotions in neuromarketing.

It is well known by now that emotions enable bonding.

Also consider that?humor?is a great way to convey the message with great awareness and positive anchoring.

Any questions? Send me an email at?[email protected]