Kerstin Gidlöf

The use of eye-tracking and retrospective interviews to study teenagers’ exposure to online advertising

This study investigated (1) potential exposure, (2) actual exposure, and (3) perceived exposure to online advertising in Swedish 15-year-olds. Eye movements of these teenagers were measured while they surfed on the internet for 15 minutes. The results show that the teenagers were potentially exposed to 132 advertisements during this time. The actual exposure was 10 per cent of all potential advertisements. A mixed effect model analysis indicates that position and size of advertisements are important factors influencing the teenagers’ visual attention to advertising, whereas subject gender did not have any significant effect. A retrospective interview based on previously recorded eye-tracking data revealed that there was a substantial difference between the teenagers’ actual and perceived exposure to advertisements, and that they were mainly unaware of their actual exposure. The retrospective interviews also showed that the subjects had difficulties in identifying the advertisements and advertised product, as well as the advertiser.

Assessing information on food packages

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present an experimental study which aims at assessing the potentially misleading effect of graphic elements on food packaging. The authors call these elements potentially misleading elements (PMEs) as they can give customers false expectations. They are either highlighted numerical information (30 per cent fibre, 8 per cent fat, 100 per cent natural […]) or pictorial information with no relation to the product (e.g. images of happy people). Design/methodology/approach In a combined decision task monitored by eye-tracking and a subsequence survey, the authors tested the impact of PMEs on common products. Combining different pairs of products, where one product had a PME, whereas the other did not, the authors could evaluate if preference correlated with the presence of a PME. Findings The authors found both types of PMEs to have analogous effects on participants’ preferences and correlate with participants’ visual attention. The authors also found evidence for a positive influence on a later explicit justification for the specific choice. Research limitations/implications This study was conducted in a lab environment and solely related to health-related decisions. The authors still need to know if these findings are transferable to real in-store decisions and other needs such as high quality or low price. This calls for further research. Practical implications The topic is important for food companies, and it might become a priority in managing brand equity, combining consumer preferences, loyalty and communicative fairness. Originality/value Using eye-tracking and retrospective interviews brings new insights to consumer’s decision-making and how misleading potentially occurs.