Formula 1 is one of the biggest sports in the world, with over 1.5 billion viewers tuning in across the globe. Alongside the thrilling racing, there’s another competition happening: the fight for fans’ attention through advertising.
In Formula 1, track space is limited. Virtual advertising solves this by digitally inserting sponsor logos and banners directly into the TV feed. Viewers at home see them, but fans in the stadium don’t.
This makes it possible to:
Show different ads to different regions (for example, Coca-Cola running unique ads in Asia vs. Europe).
Place ads in prime on-screen locations like tunnels, bridges, and track corners.
Even deliver personalized messages - imagine watching a race and seeing a billboard say: “Happy Birthday, Alex!”
Depiction of the Research Problem: Comparison of Non-Personalized vs. Personalized Virtual Advertising Signage in Formula 1 Broadcasting (authors' description)
The Role of RealEye
To test if personalization really makes ads more effective, the researchers used RealEye webcam-based eye-tracking.
How it worked:
Frames from F1 broadcasts were captured showing both regular virtual ads and personalized versions.
Participants (aged 20–35) watched these race frames on their screens while RealEye tracked their eye movements.
Researchers measured key metrics:
Time to First Fixation: how quickly people noticed the ad.
Time Spent: how long they looked at it.
Revisits: how often their eyes returned to the ad.
Afterwards, participants were asked to recall the brands they saw, both freely and with prompts.
Key Areas of Interest Analyzed in Eye-Tracking Study - source: Authors own work
Key Insights
Personalization grabs attention faster: Personalized ads were noticed in just 0.79 seconds, quicker than standard ads.
Strong engagement: People spent as much time looking at personalized ads as they did watching the cars!
Placement matters: Ads in high-visibility spots (like Monaco’s tunnel or Mexico’s track corners) had the best recall.
Mixed results on memory: Brands like Lenovo and Pirelli improved recall with personalization, but Qatar Airways saw lower recall when its personalized ad was too small or not well-placed.
Cumulative Eye-Tracking Results for Groups A and B in Preliminary Experimental Study - source: Authors own work
Comparative Eye-Tracking Heatmap Analysis: Survey A (Non-Personalized Virtual Ads) vs. Survey B (Personalized Virtual Ads) - source: Authors own work
Why This Matters
This experiment shows that personalized virtual advertising, backed by eye-tracking insights, could reshape sports marketing.
For sponsors: more engaging ads that fans actually notice.
For broadcasters: new revenue opportunities with tailored digital billboards.
For fans: a more personal, less intrusive viewing experience.
Correlation Heatmaps of Eye-Tracking (Left Matrix) Metrics and Brand Visibility & Recall MetricsAcross Brands - source: Authors own work
See the Research in Action 🎥
RealEye made it possible to measure exactly where people looked during high-speed F1 action - and proved that personalization has the power to capture attention!
Curious how viewers’ eyes dart across the track - and how personalized ads capture their attention? Check out the Eye-Tracking Research Analysis video provided by authors below:
You can run a similar study!
Follow the steps below to start your own experiment with RealEye:
