Insights from MEMEX Berlin 2023 on “Meaningful Attention”

The last week’s MEMEX Berlin 2023 conference revolved around the theme of “Meaningful Attention”, reflecting our expertise in eye tracking and focus on user perception in the context of branding and advertising. We invited Markus Grunwald from the portal marktforschung.de to report on our yearly inhouse event highlight at the Berlin Headquarter.

One noteworthy aspect of this year’s MEMEX conference was the presence of attendees beyond eye square’s client base. Moshe Satanovsky, Head of Business Development at GEO-IT in Stuttgart, was among them, expressing interest in exploring potential collaborations with eye square, particularly in the realm of voice recording and speech recognition solutions.

Katharina Müller, Lead Communications at eye square, emphasized the conference’s focus on technology and the art of capturing user attention. The event, which marked the second MEMEX of the year following the New York edition, delved into the science and techniques behind achieving meaningful user engagement.

The conference began with a unique twist as CFO Friedrich Jacobi, using an avatar generated with ChatGPT, welcomed the attendees and fielded questions from the audience.

One of the highlights was Olaf Schlesiger’s presentation, Associate Director Research at Seven.One Entertainment Group, discussing the impact of context and creativity on advertising effectiveness.

Dr. Cristina de Balanzo, Board Director at Walnut Unlimited, emphasized the importance of brands reevaluating their ad content. She showcased how established brands were shifting their focus to spotlight minorities in society, such as LGBTQ+ individuals, wheelchair users, or people with Down syndrome.

Nuria Sichalla, Senior Research Consultant at eye square, delved into the role of social media in advertising, focusing on TikTok and Instagram.

Lisa Wiese, Director Human Experience at eye square, examined how digital technologies, particularly social media, have become integral to daily life, influencing user behavior more than traditional media like cinema, books, or radio.

Philipp von Hilgers, VP Enterprise Sales at DoubleVerify, drew attention to the carbon footprint of the digital ecosystem, revealing that it contributes 4% of global CO2 emissions, surpassing the 2% from air travel.

In conclusion, MEMEX Berlin 2023 shed light on the intricate art and science of capturing “Meaningful Attention” in today’s tech-driven world. It emphasized the importance of tailoring advertising strategies to user contexts, embracing authenticity in content, and considering the environmental implications of digital technology.

Read the full report from Markus Grunwald, editor at marktforschung.de (Smart Verlag).

About “Meaningful Attention”

The central theme of MEMEX 2023 was “Meaningful Attention”. In today’s digital landscape, attention has become a dominant currency influencing user experience (UX), advertising, media and buyer research. The conference theme delves into the concept of attention and highlights the importance of a holistic approach to understanding the human experience in a digital context.

The event brings together experts from different fields and combines neuropsychological and psychoanalytical approaches. By exploring the complex interplay of perception, emotion and cognition, researchers and producers aim to solve pressing digital challenges. The state of research shows that it is no longer sufficient to rely on technical and machine metrics to analyze user behavior.