Attention and eye path
We plan what the viewer needs to notice and understand before deciding where the cuts go.
The short version
What you get. An ad with a clear order of attention, readable information and a planned call to action.
Is this for you? For paid creative where the product, message or call to action is hard to follow. The same principles can also help longer content. Not if your ad has to hold more words than a viewer can take in; important lines stay up long enough to be read.
What leaves your plate. The sequence of attention, reading time, framing and cuts.
Start with the Free Audit.
What the opening needs to communicate
The eye path is decided before the cut path
We plan the likely order of attention, check it in the intended placement and adjust the cuts around what needs to be understood.
Speed is something a viewer pays for
Cutting away before a line can be read can make the message harder to follow. We give important information enough time and check the sequence at its intended size.
Where fifteen seconds go
In a fifteen-second example, we plan attention, the promise, supporting evidence and the next action. The actual duration and order depend on the format and the campaign objective.
The button is the last thing the eye reaches, so it is the first thing we plan for
We check that the sequence leaves time for the next action to be noticed and understood. A stronger opening helps only if the rest of the ad carries the message through.
Guiding the eye inside a single frame
Reading the frame before designing it
Contrast, faces and motion help guide attention. We use them deliberately and check whether the important information remains easy to follow.
Leave time to read
The length, size and complexity of on-screen text affect how long it needs to stay visible. We check the actual line in the actual sequence.
At the bench
The work, demonstrated
Try a decision from the craft: drag, tap or toggle, then read the trade-off.
These are illustrative models; no partner’s results are shown.
More demonstrations at the bench →A viewer does not scroll past a slow ad. They scroll past an ad they did not understand in time.
Speed that arrives before comprehension is a viewer being left behind.
What changes for you
Creative organised around the message and the next action, with time for both to be understood.
Related: Hooks and variants · Meta ad formats · Hooks and the first seconds · Ad creative
Send your page and ad library link. We will review the creative and recommend what to test next. Performance analysis also needs the relevant campaign data.
Request your Free Audit.
Three fields, and a written reading back.
Your audit usually arrives within three working days. We use your details only to reply to your enquiry.
What you will get
What is working, what could improve and whether we can help.
Two or three priorities, with the reason for each.
A recommended next step, even if that step is not us.
There is no obligation to continue. We only arrange a call if you ask for one.
The work, written up
The case studies keep their dates, sources and limits visible.
See the casework →