Brands have ‘milliseconds’ to attract a digital audience

Fairfax, an Australian publisher, carried out an eye-tracking study in partnership with Gateway Research to understand the visual behaviour of the readers of the Sydney Morning Herald desktop and smartphone sites. 

It was found that advertisers have a very short time in which to make an impact, and that ads with a simple layout, clear messaging and strong brand identity were most effective overall. 

The research also revealed that top-of-page ad placements were more important than ad size on both mobile and desktop and that relevant native ads gain the most attention. 

More information can be found here.