Why do we still remember some adverts years later, while others are immediately forgotten? The answer lies not only in the creativity of the adverts themselves, but above all in the context in which we consume media. The Screenforce study ‘Into the Wild’ takes a look behind the scenes of our media behaviour and examines how advertising works under real conditions. The results provide clear indications of which platforms attract the most attention and create lasting advertising recall – and why traditional channels remain ahead despite digital competition.
In order to compare the advertising impact, the study focussed on five central channels: TV, BVoD (broadcast video on demand, e.g. media libraries of TV channels), YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. In contrast to conventional laboratory settings, in which advertising impact is usually measured under standardised conditions, ‘Into the Wild’ analysed the behaviour of the test subjects in their familiar environment.
Everyday conditions and modern measurement methods
The study participants had the freedom to organise their media use themselves, as only the platforms and devices used were specified. Secondary activities such as using a second screen were permitted and adverts could be bypassed by switching, skipping or scrolling on, which enabled a realistic depiction of natural media consumption.
The attention of the test subjects was recorded with the help of eye-tracking glasses, which accurately recorded their gaze behaviour. In addition, skin conductance was measured to determine the level of arousal. The devices were sent to the participants’ homes and technical questions could be conveniently clarified online. This decentralised method enabled a large number of participants and minimised behavioural distortions that can arise due to the presence of researchers.
Study design and data collection
190 people from Germany, Austria and Switzerland took part in the study and were divided into five groups according to their media usage behaviour. Platform preferences, intensity of use and demographic characteristics played a role. A total of 256 media usage sessions with 4,139 advertising contacts were documented within the study, of which 3,486 were video advertising contacts. Focussing on moving image advertising and commercials made it easier to compare the different platforms.
Platform-specific insights into usage patterns and advertising impact
Advertising frequency: differences in the number of adverts
The number of advertising contacts the test subjects had on the five media channels within an hour was recorded in detail. All forms of broadcast advertising were counted as advertising contact – regardless of the viewing time. In addition to traditional commercials, sponsorship and special forms of advertising were also taken into account on TV. In the case of social media channels, everything that is subject to labelling counted as advertising.
The number of adverts broadcast varied greatly. Instagram outperformed all other platforms with 44 adverts per hour – almost twice as many as TV (27) and significantly more than YouTube and TikTok (24 each) – due to the fast scrolling and resulting large number of adverts. BVoD (18) had by far the lowest advertising density.
On YouTube (when used on a smartphone) and Instagram, users encountered static advertising formats, such as sponsored posts in the form of images, in addition to video ads. In order to ensure fair comparability, the contacts with static ads were eliminated, reducing the measured ad load on YouTube by 9 and on Instagram by 17 static ads. After this adjustment, YouTube has the lowest number of video ads, while Instagram is on a par with TV in this area.
Advertising recall: traditional channels are ahead of the game
As the participants were able to use the media channels freely and the advertising contacts came about naturally, the possibilities for recording the advertising impact were limited. For this reason, advertising recall could only be surveyed unaided. In order to check the accuracy of the answers, these were compared with the video recordings of the advertising contacts actually experienced. In this way, it was possible to analyse for each channel how many advertised brands a person remembered correctly on average.
The analysis showed clear differences between the channels: An average of 2.7 brands per person were correctly recalled on television, compared to 2.1 on BVoD, while the figure was less than one brand on the other channels.
The number of correctly recalled brands provides an initial indication of the different advertising impact of the channels. However, it should be noted that the number of brands shown varied depending on the channel. For example, the ad load on television was higher than on YouTube, which led to more brand contacts.
If the correct brand recall is set in relation to the number of brands shown, a clear picture emerges: BVoD has the highest proportion of correctly recalled brands at 20 per cent. This is followed by TV with 13 per cent and YouTube with 9 per cent. The social media channels perform significantly worse – Instagram is at just 1 per cent and TikTok at 3 per cent.
In addition to brand recall, there are also clear differences in the recall of advertising details and the increase in product interest. TV and BVoD performed best here. Here, respondents not only remembered details from the adverts best, but also showed the greatest interest in the advertised products.
Attention: TV and BVoD with the best values
TV and BVoD advertising is much more memorable than advertising on other channels – an effect that is confirmed by attention and activation measurements during the usage sessions. Adverts on these platforms were not only visible for longer, but were also viewed with significantly greater attention than on other channels.
BVoD is particularly noteworthy here: here, the eyes of the test subjects lingered on the advert for an average of almost 20 seconds, compared to 15 seconds on television. YouTube is in the middle of the field, while the attention span on the two social media channels was very short at around 2 seconds. The time window for conveying relevant information is therefore very limited on these platforms.
The eye-tracking data also shows how long certain elements of the advert – such as the advertised product – were viewed. Here too, TV and BVoD have a clear advantage, as the gaze lingers longer on the product. Similar patterns can be seen in the perception of brand logos: BVoD and TV attract the most attention and therefore remain the leaders in terms of advertising impact.
Implications for advertising planning: strategies for maximum impact
The ‘Into the Wild’ study shows that despite the dominance of digital platforms, TV and BVoD remain the most effective advertising media. Their strengths lie in longer attention spans, higher advertising recall and emotional activation – factors that are often neglected in social media due to fragmented user behaviour. These advantages can be attributed to so-called lean-back reception: Viewers here often consume content in a more relaxed and focussed way, which enables a more intensive engagement with the advertising messages shown. The larger screen and the high visual quality further reinforce this effect.
On the other hand, usage behaviour on social media is different. The fragmented, rapid interaction and high advertising density lead to shorter attention spans and lower brand loyalty. On platforms such as Instagram and TikTok in particular, adverts are often seen in passing, which makes it more difficult for the brand to be remembered.
