Disney Using Serious Science to Determine When You'll Look at Banner Ads [Ads]

Disney is spending millions on a research facility in Austin to see just what, physiologically speaking, makes us look at certain types of ads over others.

The facility is designed to figure out just what types of web ads we'll give our attention to. Do bumpers before videos work? What about those horrible ads that cover a whole website and force you to find the tiny X to close them? They're using eye tracking, heart monitors, skin temperature readings and facial probes to measure expressions to see what works and what doesn't.

It all shows that web ads are a serious business, with tons of money there for people who figure out how to make them really work. But really, come on, enough with those ads that block content. Nobody likes those, and you don't need any fancy research to figure it out. [NY Times]