Brands are striving for attention and seeking to attract the right customer, therefore online advertisements have become their big new showroom. Generally, advertisements combine colored imagery and strong movements to encourage and capture the consumer’s attention. However, research shows that people may react differently to similar stimuli depending on their personality traits. This research focuses on how people with a higher sensitivity to external stimuli – commonly defined as Highly Sensitive Persons (HSPs) – react when exposed to ads with excessive visual stimuli (i.e., colors, dynamic imagery, complex layouts). Results from two studies – (1) an experiment conducted online (n = 149); and (2) a biometric data collection using Mind Wave, a brain wave-reading device from NeuroSky (n = 18) – showed that the HSP trait affects ads perception and leads to a negative reaction toward overstimulating advertisements. This study sheds some light on the literature about personality traits and online consumer behavior.

This study was supported by UNIDCOM under a Grant by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (UIDB/DES/00711/2020) awarded to UNIDCOM/IADE – Unidade de Investigação em Design e Comunicação, Lisbon, Portugal.

Online advertising · Highly sensitive person (HSP) · Visual stimuli · Attitude towards the ad

• Computer and Information Sciences - Natural Sciences
• Economics and Business - Social Sciences