Match Their Top-Down Attention

You have top-down attention.

Your brain is actively searching for cues in the environment that match your current goals. Therefore, insert cues into your ads that viewers are actively monitoring.

One day, while waiting for The Office to return, I was fiddling with my phone, listening for a cue from the show to know when it returned. When I heard the character Darryl speaking, I looked at the TV. But I realized...it wasn’t Darryl...it was the actor, Craig Robinson, in an unrelated commercial.

This advertiser took a cue from The Office — the voice of Craig Robinson — and inserted this cue into their commercial. This commercial pierced my attention because my brain was actively searching for this cue.

How to Apply

• Hire Actors From the Content Platform. During episodes of WWE, unrelated commercials will often craft stories with wrestlers because viewers are monitoring for these cues.
• Include Car Sounds in Radio Ads. Honks or beeps are more likely to grab attention.
• Mimic Visuals of Popular Channels. YouTubers often design thumbnails with similar flair as popular channels because users are searching for these cues.