TCU researchers find social media is training us to respond more to short 'micro' ads

Social media training us to respond more to short "micro" ads, research shows

New research out of Texas Christian University points out that cell phones and social media are training our brains to respond more to short "micro" ads than longer commercials. And you can expect to see a lot more of these much shorter ads.

HOUSTON - New research out of Texas Christian University points out that cell phones and social media are training our brains to respond more to short "micro" ads than longer commercials.  And you can expect to see a lot more of these much shorter ads.

Big picture view:

Do you think you have a shorter attention span due to the influence of social media?  Researchers have been debating this.

But one thing is for sure, according to research at Texas Christian University, micro ads — video ads, usually only 6 to 10 seconds long — are more effective in getting you to click and buy things than longer ads.

The research

By the numbers:

Dr. Philip Kim, an Assistant Marketing Professor at TCU, just had a study published in the Journal of Marketing.  

He says they analyzed 50,00 TV and social media ads.

Kim says they found that micro ads generate up to 40% more web traffic than longer ads, and perform just as well in driving sales as longer ads, but at a lower cost.

What they're saying:

"We don’t claim that Americans have shorter attention spans overall. It’s more that they're selective with their attention. And micro ads perform well because they respect that, and they respect that trend by delivering the message before your attention drifts," explains Kim.

"As AI advances, we’re going to see more of these micro-ads created by AI helping brands create really quick, customized ads that feel relevant, and possibly more human, as time goes by, at a fraction of the cost," he added.

The advantage for brands and marketers is that these shorter ads are less expensive to produce.