System1, the research firm, tests every TV commercial that airs in the US and UK, and rates each spot on its projected short-term and long-term sales impact.
And recent analysis by the Venice, California-based company identified a major shift toward “left-brain” television advertising (think repetitive, literal, factual and explicit) rather than “right-brain” messaging (with greater depth, context, questioning and self-awareness).
One consequence of the trend, according to System1, has been a demonstrable skewin the direction of the short-term impact yielded by “left-brain” communications, and a simultaneous neglect of the extended brand building that is...