In today's crowded advertising landscape, the first important stage of Attention is to make the viewer watch for as long as possible – but viewing is not all we need and is not the same as captivating. Ads that can make the viewer feel something, an emotional response that stimulates engagement, are more likely to leave memories and associations in the brain, which will positively frame later decision-making.
Beyond attention
What we call Active Attention reflects content that causes the viewer to smile, frown, laugh, cry – and much more. Not all parts of an ad may be equally engaging – the focus may be on certain scenes or elements that are particularly compelling. But where emotional engagement is strongly integrated with brand focus and message articulation, great creative content emerges.
The art of brand storytelling
The most involving ads tend to have one or more elements of great storytelling. By dramatizing messages for people and showing them in the form of stories, they are easier for the brain to digest without having to work hard. In an analysis of almost 400 ads in the US, we saw that story ads were more likely to deliver higher levels of expressiveness, reflecting ongoing engagement throughout the ad, as the story made use of tensions, bridges, and solutions.
Sometimes, storytelling can be as simple as making a message that has the potential to be straightforward into a little 'drama.' Humanizing a message is a great way to add emotion where it might be otherwise missing. Human connections drive emotion as effectively as anything, and ads that can tap into the depth of meaning that this represents can be powerful vehicles for engagement. Social connectedness has been linked with better health, longer life, and improved well-being, so it's not surprising that – when done well – great creative can draw on this basic need.
Tapping into shared experiences
Ads that connect the viewer in shared realities by tapping into communal memories and experiences are more likely to deliver stronger emotional connections. Personal relevance is a big driver of engagement, so engaging creative can tap into things that we all do, things that we all feel, things that we all encounter, or even things that we all remember - nostalgia through cultural reference can be a great foundation for a creative idea, for example referencing a movie, a song or a story we all know. As with any creative approach, it does, of course, need to feel right for the brand, for example, stressing brand heritage, and needs to be relevant to the story being told.
The rising power of humor
After a decline in challenging times, the use of humor has continued to grow again. People love to laugh, and this recognition as a foundation of great and engaging creative means the topic has been important in industry discussion and has even seen a humor category introduced at Cannes in 2024.
Kantar's own Ad Reaction study has shown that humor is the most powerful enhancer of ad receptivity from Gen X to Gen Z. Humor needs to be customized to channel expectations. But when fine-tuned to fit the brand's personality and suited to both the audience and the platform it appears on, it is a great way to engage audiences and leave memories.
In previous years, our global Creative Effectiveness Awards have highlighted the importance of ads reflecting essential joy. Joy is a way of building emotional engagement and Active Attention, and this remains a key means of delivering creative effectiveness. People continue to experience everyday worries and ads that can illustrate optimism and positivity matter.
These insights have been informed by Kantar's 2024 North America Creative Effectiveness Awards. Award winners were evaluated based on their ability to drive brand predisposition both in the short and long term, using Kantar's independently validated LINK+ ad testing solution.
To access the full learnings from Kantar's 2024 North America Creative Effectiveness analysis and the 2024 North American winners, fill out the form to download the report.