The Eyetracking Media Spain study carried out by alt64 in collaboration with AIMC concludes that 61% of Internet users look at online advertising.
To understand the browsing patterns of Spaniards and the effectiveness of online advertising, their perspective has been analyzed.
Eyetracking Technology
Alt64 Digital, the company that distributes Eye Tracking technology in Spain, in collaboration with the Association for Media Research (AICM), has carried out for the first time in Spain a study that analyses the gaze of Internet users while reading online media, the study called Eyetracking Media Spain.
This is the first time that a study of this magnitude has been carried out in this country using Eye Tracking technology among the most widely read websites and online media. There is a precedent in the United States that has marked a before and after in the design of websites and, specifically, of American online media: the Eyetrack Study, which reached its third edition in 2004.
To carry out the Eyetracking Media Spain, the 6 online media with the highest audiences were analyzed, whose content is visible and in which it is not necessary to register to read it: ABC, El Periódico, El Mundo, La Vanguardia, La Verdad and La Razón.
The analysis of the browsing patterns of the users tested shows that women and men read online newspapers differently. While men read in a zigzag pattern and skip many paragraphs, women read from top to bottom and, in most cases, read the headlines and intros of the news in full. Both men and women scan the pages looking for key words or phrases and, based on these, decide whether or not to read the articles.
The results obtained show, among other things, that 61% of the users tested look at the advertisements contained in the web pages. And after an interview after browsing, the study indicates that 52.9% of them retain the brand of the advertisement.
The study also shows that including a lot of advertising on a page does not mean that users will see it more. On the other hand, with little advertising, but in certain advertising formats, such as the skyscraper on the side outside or the banner above, the user's attention is captured and the user will be able to look at the advertisement.
In addition to studying browsing patterns, the study answers questions such as: Are ads actually viewed? Where are ads best viewed on the web? Which ad formats are most effective? Which ads were most viewed by users participating in the study? Can the effectiveness of online advertising be measured? Which brands were remembered?
The gaze of a human being is a good indicator of what is attracting his attention, and with Eyetrack equipment it is possible automatically and with great precision (error less than 0.5%) to know, for example, what the path of the gaze is, how long the user stops at a specific point or area or to know if the user is reading or scanning a text.
The data is captured by a small camera built into the monitor from which the user browses. The path of the user's gaze is recorded on video and displayed by software so that paths, gaze fixation times, reading patterns, etc. can be analysed.
At the sample analysis level, it is possible to obtain aggregate information with dark zones (zones that no one has looked at) and hot zones (zones that most users have looked at) and to create thermal maps of web pages or any other medium that is being studied.
The full study can be downloaded from the AIMC website (http://www.aimc.es/) and from the Alt64 website (http://www.alt64.com)
