Is digital advertising effective under conditions of low attention?

A crucial task for digital advertising is to influence choice despite consumers’ lack of attention. Yet, there is little evidence about digital advertising effectiveness or about the source factors that affect consumers under conditions of low attention. Using a mixed factorial experiment, we find clear evidence that digital advertising is effective despite low attention. The results for brand familiarity and product characteristics are more nuanced; the effects are greater for unfamiliar brands, and also for familiar brands that are utilitarian. These findings are encouraging for digital advertisers who may feel released from the imperative to design attention-grabbing advertisements. However, the results also emphasise the need for advertising theory to take better account of low attention and the opportunity to further investigate the circumstances under which low-attention advertising will be most effective.