These are 7 ways to make your ads more memorable to consumers

Less than 16% of advertisements are recalled and correctly attributed. Meanwhile, a third of online ads are never seen. So, how can marketers ensure that their brands are remembered, are noticed in the first place and more importantly, are recalled at the shelf, search engine and checkout.

In new research conducted by VCCP Singapore titled "Cracking the memory code", it found that consistency and association have led to ads being recalled and remembered for up to a lifetime. 

In fact, it found that the more consumers remember something, the more they like it. "The human brain is naturally wired to forget, not remember. The world’s top brands understand this truth and position themselves as creators of memories, using the science of memory to secure a lasting place in people’s minds," said Katya Obolensky, MD of VCCP Singapore. 

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"Understanding the intricacies of how memories are formed allows us to craft marketing strategies that not only capture attention but also endure in the minds of consumers. This method is a first for how we test ads," said Ralphy March, MD of Cowry Consulting. 

According to VCCP Singapore, the most memorable ads in Singapore include Tiger Beer's "It's Tiger time" ad from 1999, Singapore Airlines' 2001 ad "Across the world" and Visa's "Uncle Sim" ad from 2015 for alcohol, travel and finance categories respectively. 

Other memorable ads include telco M1's "You deserve better" ad from 2004 and Nippon Paint's "Odourless paints" ad from 2010 for the household category. 

How to be memorable 

The report revealed that emotion, character, surprise and humour are some important factors that fill the memory index. In addition, creativity is a clear value for memorability too. 

1. Tap into emotions 

Emotion makes things more likely to be remembered, processed, stored deep in memory, then recalled. Emotional messages are more likely to be stored, even at lower frequency, said the report. 

2. Provide incomplete information 

Interestingly, the report said the "Zeigarnik effect" is effective in memorability. The "Zeigarnik effect" is the principle that incomplete information is more likely to be recalled, not less. 

It added that decisions that don’t make sense rationally make
perfect sense in terms of memory, explaining that consumers remember things they have to engage with and have to think about.

3. Be unexpected 

Unexpectedness is even more powerful in creating emotions and attention, with surprise intensifying emotions up to 400%, according to the report. 

This is because the nucleus accumbens acts as a pleasure centre in the brain and fires more when a pleasure is unexpected. 

4. Tell a joke 

Just like unexpectedness, laughter is also an intense, positive emotion that shortcuts attention into deep memory. 

Humorous ads have survived in memory from Indoeskrim’s absurdist take on local folklore which gained viral popularity across the region, to the consistently recalled M1 spot titled "You deserve better", said the report. 

5. Showcase hard times and hard subjects

That said, emotions never occur in in isolation. Hence, the combination of two emotions, such as sadness and guilt for example, can be a powerful driver. 

Another example includes depicting heroes who struggle through adversity and manage to find the light during dark times. This provides viewers hope and relatability.

The report explained that the bait and switch of emotions is what drives memorability while something uncomfortable, sad and happy can be combined to create an extremely effective piece of communication. 

6. Rhythm and rhymes

Rhymes and rhythmic language are a powerful force in memory as they create a double link in memory. Meanwhile, jingles come with a free frequency boost because people repeat them to themselves,

The rhyme-as-reason effect means that people believe information that rhymes simply because it rhymes, said the report. Research has also shown that people clap in the right place even when they can’t hear the words.

While jingles might be out of fashion elsewhere, they are alive and well in Southeast Asia with brands such as eCommerce giants Shopee and Lazada constantly crafting earworms to remind consumers of their monthly promotions.

At the same time, the Singapore government frequently uses jingles to convey important public service announcements, most famously fronted by well-loved personalities, such as Phua Chu Kang when he did his LTA rap from 2010.

Daikin has also built upon its highly recalled “Five-ticks” jingle and continually employs rhythm and rhyme as part of its creative approach, said the report.

7. Frequency 

Frequency also increases the likelihood of information being retained.

However, frequency alone doesn’t guarantee memory. This is especially since surveys consistently show that even high frequency information isn't remembered if it isn't seen as meaningful or important. This can potentially be achieved with a trigger that can activate a memory or association. 

Interestingly, it only takes 1.4 seconds of consumer attention to drive a 10% lift in brand awareness at the top of the engagement funnel. 

This is according to a study by Playground xyz that aims to substantiate the notion that optimal attention, rather than maximal attention, is key to unlocking the full potential of brand outcomes. 

Optimal attention is the threshold of attention required to see a lift in a brand outcome.  

The study found that attention time exerts a strong influencer over upper funnel outcomes and that lift is possible early in the viewing of an advertisement, with most outcomes seeing a lift prior to 10% of the ad having been watched. 

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