Younger Generations Scroll Faster, Older Audiences Remember Ads Better
New research indicates younger digital natives scroll through content and advertisements at a faster pace, impacting ad recall compared to older demographics.
A study released by Seven.One Entertainment Group reveals that the fast-paced and short-attention span digital media consumption habits of younger generations are diminishing the effectiveness of advertising.
The "Track the Success" study, conducted by eye square on behalf of Seven.One, shows that individuals over 40 years old demonstrate better recall of advertisements than younger audiences. This is partly attributed to digital natives' accustomed speed in scrolling through content, typically holding devices vertically, which reduces focus on ads. They also actively avoid advertisements and utilize ad-blocking technologies.
"Digital natives are more adept at using apps and devices, are more impatient, and quicker at scrolling and clicking," explains Stefan Schönherr, Unit Lead and Partner at market research firm eye square. Gerald Neumüller, Research Director at Seven.One Entertainment, adds that younger people's media usage is "overall more fleeting." This leads to superficial media engagement and shorter attention spans.
The research also highlights information overload and the fragmenting effect of social media. Ines Imdahl, a psychologist and CEO of market research company rheingold salon, states that social media provides "only randomly assembled short fragments, not a historical connection." This makes it more challenging to build brand recognition among young people, as memorization requires connections and prior knowledge that are absent in this type of media consumption.
The findings challenge traditional metrics for advertising effectiveness and emphasize the need for more granular measurement. Seven.One Media has initiated a discussion around the concept of "mental availability," stressing the importance of anchoring a brand in memory and associating it with relevant concepts to achieve advertising goals. "The sharper we set the measurement criteria for advertising effectiveness, the more the performance of different moving image platforms will differentiate," emphasizes Seven.One executive Guido Modenbach.