Every week, Amárach and Future Proof Insights share exclusive findings from their PRIZM+ ad testing service, showcasing best practice creative advertising in Ireland.
Laya’s creative choices tap into a subtle but powerful emotional register—everyday moments of disconnection that feel deeply familiar.
What makes them effective isn’t just their relatability but how they quietly invite viewers to reflect on their own social needs.
This emotional tension—between observation and inclusion—drives early spikes in engagement and emotional resonance.
It’s not the drama of loneliness that stands out but its ordinariness, which makes the proposed solution feel both credible and attainable.
Neuroscience data backs this up.
Engagement and Emotion remain consistently strong throughout, with the most resonant scenes involving subtle human cues—a smile at a distance, a pause before joining in, a quiet invitation to watch a game.
These scenarios activate the identifiable victim effect, prompting viewers to connect with individual characters rather than abstract figures.
Viewers are not watching loneliness in general—they’re seeing people like them.
This connection, though, comes at a cost.
Cognitive Load sits well above optimal across much of the ad.
The layering of narration, social statistics, and emotionally rich visuals creates a processing burden.
While the brain stays attentive, it works hard to keep up, leaving less room for deeper reflection or behaviour planning.
This high load may also explain why approach motivation remains low. Despite strong memorisation and emotional pull, Desire, as measured via frontal asymmetry, doesn’t reach thresholds typically associated with action.
From a behavioural standpoint, the campaign performs best on Capability—viewers understand the message—and reasonably on Opportunity, thanks to visual cues of inclusion and participation.
But Motivation is the weak point. Behavioural scores for Purchase Intent and Brand Stickiness fall short, suggesting the message is processed but not activated.
This reflects a missed chance to fully trigger the availability heuristic: while the problem is recognisable, the solution doesn’t yet feel close at hand.
A clearer depiction of how to take part—rather than just showing that others are—could address this.
There’s also potential in more actively leveraging social proof. Scenes of shared joy imply belonging, but don’t show pathways into the group.
Viewers see people enjoying sport, but not people like them taking that first step. Increasing the visibility of relatable “join-in” moments could build on this and strengthen automatic motivation.
The story’s arc—from disconnection to belonging—relies on emotional contrast.
That contrast helps drive memorability, thanks to the contrast effect. But it also risks creating emotional closure without behavioural follow-through.
The ad gives viewers resolution—she joins her friends, he chats with parents—which might reduce the felt need to act themselves.
The brain feels a problem has been solved, even if not by them.
Demographic breakdowns show that younger women, particularly under 35, are the most responsive segment.
Emotional relevance and motivation are higher here, suggesting that the creative tone aligns well with this group’s values and viewing habits.
Older male viewers show weaker response across most measures, indicating an opportunity for tailored messaging or edits by the audience.
Ultimately, this is a well-crafted campaign with strong emotional fluency. It makes the issue of loneliness visible without sensationalism and connects the brand to a meaningful solution.
But while it builds empathy, it stops just short of momentum. With less cognitive clutter, more visible entry points, and stronger behavioural cues, Laya’s next step could be not just to show the way—but to get more people moving.
For more insights from PRIZM+ on how neuroscience drives advertising impact, visit: https://www.futureproofinsights.ie/prizm-plus/
