Thought Leadership 2009

Much of advertising is visual—TV commercials, print and Web site ads, billboards. So what draws consumer attention—when they’re shopping, Web surfing or just out on the town? Does that attention-grabber build or destroy brand value?

Companies spend an enormous amount of money on visual advertising without knowing exactly what gives them the most bang for the buck. Wedel’s research uses high-tech eye-tracking technology to determine exactly what consumers respond to when it comes to visual marketing, particularly as it relates to branding. While many companies think a brand should be small in an advertisement, it should instead be large, says Wedel, who will discuss these and other recent findings on the impact of visuals. 

October 16
8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center
Washington, D.C.

Michel Wedel is PepsiCo Professor of Consumer Science at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. He serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Classification, Quantitative Marketing and Economics, and Journal of Marketing; published books on Market Segmentation, Models for Marketing Decisions and Visual Marketing; and consulted for over 25 different companies in the nonprofit and profit sectors, including companies in market research, consulting, direct marketing, food, financial services, automotive, and telecommunications.