Visual complexity in banner ads

Two studies investigate visual complexity in banner ads and support predictions based on the resource‐matching perspective, which suggests that processing is optimized when the resources required to process a stimulus match the resources available. A content analysis of actual banner ads indicates that Internet advertising tends to rely on a moderate degree of visual complexity. This implies that advertisers’ experience may be encouraging them to combine visual elements, such as color, line art, photography, animated text, and animated visuals for moderate complexity, which should improve message processing. A follow‐up experiment verifies that, when processing resources are constrained, memory is better for images with moderate visual complexity than for simpler or more complex images.

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