Abstract:

Given the fact that investments in online banner advertising are constantly growing, the quality and effectiveness of such campaign represent an important topic for practitioners. Banner characteristics such as format and placement may influence the success rate of the advertisement. However, despite the increasing coverage of this online marketing format, there is a little evidence in the scientific literature how these advertisements influence user´s attention. By conducting an experiment in simulated online environment, we tested the impact of banner features, namely the format (static, animated, video) and placement (skyscraper, leaderboard) on user´s attention and following behavior. The experiment consisted in laboratory testing that required the creation of a fictional video website and four fictional shops with similar layout and structure, but different products targeting male and female users. The test group included 78 college students (42 female, 36 male) ranging from 23 to 24 years of age. Each tester was given one hour and a half to browse the video website without any specific goal or task. We tried to get closer as possible to regular browsing behavior. The data was collected using eye-tracking technology and analytical information from Google Analytics that was connected with all four shops. Choosing these analytical methods allowed us to study the unconscious impulses and direct effects of banner characteristics in an objective manner.