Attention Spillovers from News to Ads: Evidence from an Eye-Tracking Experiment

88 Pages Posted: 4 May 2021 Last revised: 28 Feb 2023

See all articles by Andrey Simonov

Andrey Simonov

Columbia University - Columbia Business School

Tommaso M. Valletti

Imperial College Business School; Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

Andre Veiga

Imperial College London

Date Written: February 26, 2023

Abstract

Does online news content facilitate display advertising effectiveness? We conduct an online experiment in which subjects read various articles and are shown (randomized) ads for brands next to these articles. Using non-intrusive eye-tracking technology, we measure the attention each individual pays to each article and ad. Then, respondents are asked which ads they recall seeing, and choose between cash or vouchers for the brands advertised. We show that articles that capture more of readers’ attention increase the amount of attention readers pay to ads on the page. In turn, more attention to ads increases brand recall and purchase probability. Building on the experimental results, we formulate and estimate a stylized model of attention allocation, purchase and recall. The model features spillovers of attention from articles to ads. The type of news content (“hard” versus “soft” news) does not detectably impact ad effectiveness – evidence against the practice of “block lists” of sensitive news topics by advertisers. We discuss the implications of such attention spillovers for firms’ investments in captivating news content.

Keywords: Online Advertising, Online News, Experiments, Attention, E-commerce

JEL Classification: M37, C91, L86

Suggested Citation

Simonov, Andrey and Valletti, Tommaso M. and Veiga, Andre, Attention Spillovers from News to Ads: Evidence from an Eye-Tracking Experiment (February 26, 2023). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3836531 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3836531

Andrey Simonov

Columbia University - Columbia Business School ( email )

3022 Broadway
New York, NY 10027
United States

Tommaso M. Valletti

Imperial College Business School ( email )

South Kensington Campus
Exhibition Road
London SW7 2AZ, SW7 2AZ
United Kingdom

Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

London
United Kingdom

Andre Veiga (Contact Author)

Imperial College London ( email )

South Kensington Campus
Exhibition Road
London, Greater London SW7 2AZ
United Kingdom

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