What attracts attention in advertising.

The strongest trigger remains rational value: discounts, promotions, and special offers attract the attention of 37% of the audience. Next come practical usefulness and message clarity, both at 29%. This clearly shows that people are not looking for complex creatives — they are looking for clear value.

Relevance at the moment (26%) and novelty (20%) also matter, but more as amplifiers rather than primary drivers of attention. Visuals and video, often considered key to effective advertising, in reality have a significantly lower impact — only 15%.

Social topics, recommendations from others, and brand tone rank even lower. At the same time, 14% do not pay attention to advertising at all.

This shifts the focus: not “how to say it beautifully,” but “what exactly to say and whether it delivers value here and now.”

Perhaps the key question for brands today is whether we overestimate the role of creativity while underestimating the importance of basic consumer value?

Data processed by Media Systems