AR ads deliver uplift in emotional engagement and immersion

Augmented reality (AR) advertising experiences command continuous high attention, compared to traditional advertising experiences which have peaks and valleys over time, according to new research. 

Why it matters 

That research from instant messaging app Snapchat should reach such a conclusion is hardly a surprise, but the neuroscience study finds that not only does AR offer an immersive experience across platforms, it also claims that immersion predicts consumer action and memory with 83% accuracy.

Key findings 

• An Immersion Index, based on measuring variability in participants’ heart rate while watching AR ad content, shows average scores higher than industry benchmarks for the Entertainment category across all social media platforms.
• When people are highly immersed, they are paying attention, emotionally engaged, and actively committing information to memory. 
• A heart rate tracker graph demonstrated that every second is that much more impactful and delivers positive memory encoding. 

Key quote

“When people are highly immersed … they are ‘in the zone’, and the experience is resonating with them on a fundamental level – to the point it can predict future behaviour” – Andy Pang, head of international marketing science at Snap.

Sourced from Snap