2019 Best Innovation: Lumen Research

Founded in 2013, Lumen is an eye-tracking advertising and marketing research company that allows companies to pre-test advertising creative, websites and packaging design.

The technology has been used in various environments: digital display ads, print, email marketing and mobile advertising, but testing point-of-sale (POS) retail advertising was more difficult. Testing POS needs to be done in context to make sure it’s representative of how a shopper would encounter it in a busy shopping environment, rather than showing ad creative in isolation.

Working with client Tesco, Lumen developed a means of pre-testing point-of-sale (POS) advertising passively and at scale. The company worked with video-editing firm Mirriad to create a video of a shopper’s experience in store, from their perspective, and then insert different versions of a POS design into the video – creating different versions of the same stimulus.

For the next stage, respondents are recruited from an online panel provider and asked to download Lumen’s webcam eye-tracking software to their computers. The company asks them to watch a version of the video and at the end they are asked to click on a product on a shelf mock-up to identify their brand preference. Lastly, respondents complete a short questionnaire to measure recall and brand perception.

Tesco has tested multiple POS options in the past six months using the combined technology, optimising POS designs before they are printed. The retailer has also developed a database to inform future decision-making.

Mike Follett, managing director, Lumen said: “We’re very happy to be nominated twice and win twice at our first MRS Awards. It’s a real testament to the hard work and creativity of the whole Lumen team, and the ambition and support of our clients, like Tesco.”

Finalists in the best innovation category were once again submitted to a Dragons’ Den-style judging format to present their innovation to the judging panel.

The judges said: “While Lumen’s written entry impressed the judges, it was the presentation to the panel and in-the-room demonstration of its technology that secured it first place in this category. The project feels truly innovative while being cost effective and scalable – both key criteria in this category.” 

Lumen, along with Tesco, was also named the winner of the Jeremy Bullmore Award for Creative Development Research.