New Study Finds 87% of Ads Are Just People Looking Slightly to the Left
AUCKLAND, NZ – The nation’s marketers have reached a stunning breakthrough: cameras can capture a human turning 12 degrees off‑centre, and apparently this pose is now the pinnacle of consumer persuasion.
According to the Advertising Standards Authority’s new report, almost nine out of ten campaigns rely on models who are technically facing you, but gazing wistfully into nothing. Researchers believe the trend began years ago when one bank discovered customers trusted their mortgage adviser more if she looked as though she had just spotted a passing gull.
Industry insiders are thrilled. One creative director compared the pose to the pavlova, calling it “ours, ours alone, sturdy yet airy, with a light dusting of relatability.” Meanwhile, critics say the effect is unsettling, as if every billboard character is watching a barbecue you were not invited to.
To reinforce the trend, agencies are testing even more niche angles: 14 degrees left for supermarket crackers, 9 degrees up for car insurance, and precisely 17 degrees down for probiotic yoghurt. The Ministry of Health has quietly urged caution, warning of potential consumer neck strain from excessive side‑eye engagement.
According to the Advertising Standards Authority’s new report, almost nine out of ten campaigns rely on models who are technically facing you, but gazing wistfully into nothing. Researchers believe the trend began years ago when one bank discovered customers trusted their mortgage adviser more if she looked as though she had just spotted a passing gull.
Industry insiders are thrilled. One creative director compared the pose to the pavlova, calling it “ours, ours alone, sturdy yet airy, with a light dusting of relatability.” Meanwhile, critics say the effect is unsettling, as if every billboard character is watching a barbecue you were not invited to.
To reinforce the trend, agencies are testing even more niche angles: 14 degrees left for supermarket crackers, 9 degrees up for car insurance, and precisely 17 degrees down for probiotic yoghurt. The Ministry of Health has quietly urged caution, warning of potential consumer neck strain from excessive side‑eye engagement.