3D dramatically increases memory retention rates in advertising says leading 3D producer

Advertisers looking to increase memory retention among audiences should seriously investigate 3D, says a leading Canadian producer of stereoscopic 3D commercials, James Stewart.

In a presentation today delivered at the Ontario Centres for Excellence (OCE) Discovery 2011 conference, Geneva Film Co. founder and director James Stewart shared startling statistics.  He showed the use of 3D in advertising yields eye-popping returns in memory retention with audiences exhibiting 92% total recall of an ad, with 68% of that number showing a higher likelihood of following through with a purchase of the product advertised – a significant increase over the same commercial in 2D. Quoting studies from multiple independent sources – including ESPN, Xpand and Texas Instruments, the data shows an average increase in viewer retention of 15%.

Showing examples of his 3D work used in customer testing, Stewart said, “For a nominal increase in production costs, you get a 15% – 20% increase in ad recall.  Who does not want that?”

But advertising is not the only medium where retention rates are boosted through the use of 3D.  Stewart also provided the Discovery audience with powerful data from a study conducted in the UK on behalf of Texas Instruments, showing that the use of 3D as a learning method in the classroom also improved a pupil’s understanding of a difficult topic.  Children’s mean scores in lessons taught using 3D ranked 8.33 out of 10 while traditionally taught returned mean scores of 7 out of 10.

“3D is now prominent in our movie theaters and is becoming increasingly acknowledged by the advertising community as the powerful and immersive advertising medium.  And, based on information I’ve shared at this conference, clearly 3D has legs beyond commercial use,” says Stewart. “Now we have the empirical research to validate what our gut and the rising audience attendance rates in theatres have been telling us all along.  3D is not just here to stay – it is going to dominate communication channels in the future,” says Stewart.

Since producing its first 3D commercial in 2008, Geneva has fielded steadily increasing demand for its 3D expertise as advertisers race to claim first to market rights in their respective brand categories.  Geneva has produced an array of 3D commercials for such brand leaders as Sprint, JCPenney and Lexus.