Track to the Future? A Study of Individual Selection Mechanisms Preceding Ad Recognition and Their Consequences

Ad tracking studies reveal a problem for advertisers; more than half their audience do not recognize their ads. The present study approaches this problem using ideas about individual selection processes preceding the processing level required for an ad to be recognized later. Unaware of the study, respondents were exposed to an ad. Comparisons between those who at a later stage recognized the ad and those who did not reveal differences in two dimensions: the more the ad was instantly liked and the less it was instantly perceived as a persuasive attempt, the greater the chances of ad recognition. Many of the commonly discussed attention-attracting factors are shown to have no effect on the selection process, while passing the instant selection mechanisms was a necessary step preceding more complex learning.