The Eyes Have It
Millions of people watch TV, surf the Web, and notice outdoor billboards, but what their eyes are actually looking at might surprise you. Working under the mantra "the eye doesn't lie," Mike Bloxham, director of insight and research, and his staff at Ball State's Center for Media Design have designed an eye-tracking system that follows the micro-second movements of a viewer's eye while he watches a TV screen at a distance of 10 feet. "It's amazing how fast the eye moves and what it can tell us," says Michael Holmes of the Center of Media Design.
In recent years, eye-tracking equipment has become much more manageable and less intrusive, allowing for the study of the eye's workings with regard to print, TV, and the Web. In the future, Bloxham hopes to provide measurements for responses to outdoor advertising and in-store retailing.
"I would love to utilize the technology to measure the effectiveness of in-game advertising, since it is part of such a fast-moving atmosphere," says Bloxham. "I also think it would be quite interesting to take a look at product placement, and really see what the eye passes over in the vicinity of a given scene."
Recent Media Magazine Articles
-
Weighing the Numbers Game April 16, 4:11 p.m.
For media agencies, preparing for the upfronts used to be fairly straightforward: Watch the new shows, ...
-
Negotiating a New Frontier April 16, 4:10 p.m.
We hear about them more and more these days — those cord-cutters who have set sail ...
-
Fast Forward: Worn And Threadbare April 16, 4:09 p.m.
I collect T-shirts the way other people collect art or wine, but unlike them, I don’t ...
-
Staying Power April 16, 4:08 p.m.
Long-term, TV’s big broadcast networks need much to maintain their continued viewer and advertising dominance: More hits, ...
-
Let's Go Numb April 16, 4:06 p.m.
On the road to hell (or, at least, its kitchen) will be an enormous street party ...
-
The View From the Stage April 16, 4:01 p.m.
Mitch Oscar, a long-time agency executive, remembers Robin Williams taking the upfront stage to interest advertisers ...
-
Show Starter April 16, 3:59 p.m.
When it comes to announcing their annual fall schedules,do the big broadcast networks really need to ...
-
Bande A Part April 16, 3:54 p.m.
The last upfront presentation I attended was a Nickelodeon breakfast-palooza three or four years ago. I ...
-
The Turnaround April 16, 3:53 p.m.
In the spring of 1984, Edsel Ford II, the Ford Motor Co. scion who was then ...
-
Confessions of an Upfront Reporter April 16, 3:44 p.m.
Twenty-five years ago, I began writing a story just like this one. The article, for the now-defunct ...
Be the first to comment on "The Eyes Have It"
Leave a Comment