Higher levels of creativity increases attention to banner ads whether consumers are deeply or more lightly engaged with online content, a study in the Journal of Advertising Research has found.

The study

• Ninety-six people took part in test exercises that used eye-tracking technology to assess how creativity in animated banners ads impacts consumer responses to these messages.
• Some participants were engaged in “deep information processing” of content as they were told they would be asked questions about the website material they were viewing.
• Other participants were engaged in “shallow information processing” of content, as they were told to casually browse...