Most branded ads are forgotten despite billions in marketing spend, study finds

Singapore – A new neuroscience study by Singapore-based brand experience agency Rebel & Soul suggests that many marketing campaigns may be capturing consumers’ attention without leaving a lasting impression.

Published in the whitepaper The Three Trillion Dollar Question, the six-month study found that conventional engagement metrics—including attention, dwell time, and emotional response—did not reliably predict whether consumers would remember a brand months after seeing its advertising.

The research tracked 24 branded advertisements across 81 participants, measuring brand recall immediately after viewing and again after one week, one month, three months, and six months.

One of its key findings was that advertisements designed around Rebel & Soul’s neuroscience-based INVOLVE framework were up to 52% more memorable after six months than campaigns that scored below the framework’s memorability threshold. 

According to the report, the recall gap remained consistent throughout every measurement period and continued to widen over time.

The study also found that physiological signals commonly used to evaluate advertising performance—including EEG brain activity, eye tracking, galvanic skin response, and facial expression analysis—did not accurately predict which brands participants would still remember six months later.

Instead, the report found a stronger relationship between long-term recall and the creative design of an experience. Campaigns that scored highly against the framework’s seven neuroscience-based principles consistently achieved higher recall than those that did not.

Among the principles identified were the use of curiosity to encourage memory formation, novelty to capture attention, vivid sensory elements to strengthen recall, structured information to reduce cognitive overload, physical engagement, multisensory experiences, and emotional peaks that make experiences more memorable.

The report also points to a broader disconnect between how marketing effectiveness is commonly measured and what ultimately influences purchasing decisions. 

While brands continue to optimize for metrics such as impressions, reach, and engagement, Rebel & Soul argues these indicators do not necessarily reflect whether consumers will remember a brand when making future purchase decisions.

Kristy Castleton, Founder of Rebel & Soul, said the findings distinguish between immediate attention and lasting memory.

“Attention in the moment and memory over time are different outcomes, and the study shows they can diverge significantly. What the brain responds to during an experience is not the same as what it keeps.”