Desarrollo del método alternativo

Heath first put forward his new theory of how advertising works and his ideas on low involvement processing (subsequently renamed low attention processing and referred to hereafter as LAP) in an Admap article in March 1999. He pointed out that

traditional theories of how advertising works were based on the hypothesis that it must be processed cognitively by consumers to be effective – in other words, it must capture your attention and interest, and make you ‘think’ about and remember the ad and the message within it. Advertising that does not ‘cut through’ in this way is deemed to be largely wasted.

Heath’s theory set out to challenge this received view, which has underpinned the vast proportion of communications strategy and its associated market research. His theory stated that:

• We process advertising on an almost continuous basis, along with other brand impressions, with great efficiency, but at low levels of involvement.

• This processing takes place passively and instinctively, predominantly using the subconscious brain.

• Because this does not involve conscious analysis, data are collected as complete sets of sensory associations, and transferred directly into long-term memory. It is these sensory associations that comprise most of the information we have about brands, and that therefore effectively define brands in our minds.

• When we come to make a purchase, these associations can exert a powerful influence on the decision about which brand to choose, even if we are not consciously aware of them, do not ‘think’ about them or do not actively analyse their meaning.

Heath’s theory was welcomed with enthusiasm, especially by those yearning for an explanation of why effective ads often did badly in quantitative pre-tests and tracking studies. At last, here was a rationale to support ‘creative’ adver-tising, ie emotional not factual; use of analogy and symbolism rather than product demonstration; less emphasis on brand name mentions, large logos and mnemonic devices. However, many remain unconvinced and his theory has provoked much debate and many articles, both for and against.

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One of the more robust challenges has come from leading research company Ipsos ASI. It has accumulated a database of metrics covering the performance of tens of thousands of commercials from around the world using its Next*TV test. In its methodology, respondents are not aware initially that they are participating in advertising research, but believe they are evaluating a new 30-minute TV programme in which a commercial break containing the test ad (and others) is embedded. It is as close to a natural viewing environment as market research is likely to come. In day-after inter-viewing, Ipsos can confirm that viewers have watched the show before asking both recall and recognition of the test ad. This allows them to segment respondents into the groups that Heath recommends for seeking evidence of LAP, namely:

1. those who demonstrate proven recall of the ad (for example, they can describe it in an identifiable manner);

2. those who cannot spontaneously recall the ad, but are able to recognize it from a description;

3. those who neither recall nor recognize the ad, but who are known to have been exposed because they have taken part in the test.

Those in the first group might be said to have been high attention processors (HAP) of the advertisement, while those in the second group can be consid-ered to have processed it with low attention (LAP). Further, Ipsos have the added benefit of being able to analyse the third group of respondents, who might be termed as ultra low attention processors (ULAP).

The Ipsos analysis was based on responses from 97,083 respondents, 512 ads covering 65 categories, and 47 different client companies. All the test ads were for established US brands in FMCG categories. Their key findings can be summarized as follows.

1. Advertising has a significant effect on brand choice, regardless of whether it is processed with high or low levels of attention.

2. Ads processed with ultra low attention also have a significant impact on brand choice.

3. Ads that succeed in being processed with high attention are over two and a half times more impactful than ads processed with low attention, and six times more impactful than ads processed with ultra low attention (see Figure 13.1).

Ipsos applied a similar analytical approach to look into variances attributable to the creative content of the advertising being tested. The results suggest that LAP is a slightly more potent force for information-driven ads than for the less

informative, more fun, and emotionally driven ads. While current brain research indicates that these processes are not mutually exclusive, and that

‘affective’ (ie emotional) response is not always strongest for ads that consumers or practitioners might assume to be most ‘emotional’, it’s inter-esting to see the relative power of HAP across all creative genres (Figure 13.2).

Thus, as is so often the case, both schools of thought are right. There is an impact on brand choice and purchase behaviour resulting from low attention processing of communications that had not previously been identified.

However, its long-established counterpart, high attention processing, is a stronger force. To the extent that marketers can continue to generate HAP in an increasingly message-cluttered environment, it will remain pre-eminent, but clutter is a big issue. However, HAP has been given a new lease of life in the digital world, in which tools for generating brand ‘buzz’ and online ‘word of mouth’ are numerous and increasingly vital.

The relatively new theory of low attention processing perhaps has more radical implications for how we measure marketing communications’ effects than for how we develop those communications – since it confirms what many other research studies have already established, namely that communications that establish strong emotional brand associations or ‘markers’ are more likely The Influence of Customer Mindset 129

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Figure 13.1 Net shift (%) for advertised brand – established products only

Source: IPSOS ASI 2006. Reproduced by kind permission of IPSOS

to be effective. However, there is already a great deal of learning about how to go about engaging customers in high attention processing mode, and within this body of knowledge it’s worth focusing on some of the more powerful drivers of the human psyche.