Physical Attention-Getters

People pay attention to the unusual, the unexpected, the atypical in our environment, almost as if an animal were suddenly alerted by a sight or a sound.

Often, we observe a sight or a sound (or an ad) until we are able to understand it, mentally deciding where to fit it into the rest of our experience. If an ad does not relate to one of our own desires (or fears), we cease to pay attention. Thus, many ads are still in our verbal environment, but seldom noticed, until we have a need (an illness, a car repair, a new pet) which relates to them.

In our "Age of Hype" today, we see so many intense things (flashing lights, bright colors, movements, shapes, as well as a whole variety of interesting images, pretty pictures, beautiful scenery), that they tend to become the norm and may lose their individual power of attention getting. Yet, notice the constant variety of new ways attempted to get our attention.

We are social beings, accustomed to two-way conversations, the give and take of ordinary life. Someone looks at us, we look back at them. Someone points a finger at some thing, we look. Not always. Not all people. But, enough so that such blunt attention-getting works most of the time, with most people.

Camera work and editing techniques in television and movies use a wide variety of photographic and electronic ways to gain attention or to enhance the scene: camera placement angles (such as close-ups, zoom-ins, panoramic and birdseye views) and other unusual ways (such as instant replays, quick cuts, slow-motion, split-screen, enlarged details, time-lapse photography, cross-sections, fades, blurred focus, and freeze-frame) demand our attention.

Computer graphics and imagery (such as animation, morphing, color cycling, dissolving, digitizing, flipping, multiple images, superimposing, 3D rotations, virtual reality) are also used. Such special effects technology initially attracts attention, but eventually seems commonplace. In print ads, comparable attention-getters might be the various styles and designs in the typeface, graphics, and photos.

Visuals imply. Viewers infer. (Sometimes erroneously.)

Our sense of hearing responds to the intensity, frequency, and duration of sounds. We notice their regularity (or changes and variations), their context and background.

Sounds, whether subtle background noise, such as crickets chirping, brooks babbling, birds chirping, rain falling, children laughing) or obvious foreground noise (shouting or screaming) can enhance the message by attracting attention and suggesting a mood. Just as "canned laughter" is used in most sit-coms, so also most ads use background sounds appropriate (tranquility, excitement) to their visuals.

Listen and close your eyes; look and use the MUTE button: compare TV ads, with and without the sounds. Usually, TV commercials are louder than the programs.

Music is very important as an attention-getter. Ads often use mood music (happy, joyful, calm, exciting) as background to accompany the visuals. Often the song rights of popular favorites are bought, in order to associate products with tunes already well-loved by the intended audience (called "retro marketing"). For example, if the target audience is young-mothers-in-their-thirties, then their favorite songs are likely to be the most popular hits during their teen-age years.

Recent songs are well protected by copyright laws, so ads have to buy the rights to use songs ($50,000 to $250,000). But, out-of-copyright music has no protection. Thus, some critics lament that our cultural heritage is being debased when the melodies of Mozart and Beethoven are being used as pleasant background music for a sales pitch.