Why Does Implicit Memory Influence Which Marketing Assets We Notice?

We see thousands of marketing messages every day, but only a fraction of them actually register. Even within an advertisement, some elements stand out while others barely get noticed. A logo, colour, shape, sound, or familiar visual can sometimes catch our attention almost automatically, while a more elaborate creative idea may pass us by. One reason for this is Implicit Memory, which can influence how familiar information is processed and which marketing assets are easier for us to recognise.

Implicit memory refers broadly to the influence of previous experience on behaviour or performance without requiring conscious recollection of that experience. In marketing, this matters because consumers do not always need to remember seeing an advertisement for that exposure to leave a memory trace. Advertising research has found that incidental exposure can influence implicit memory and attitudes towards brands, even when people do not consciously recall the advertising encounter.

How Implicit Memory Shapes What We Notice

Think about walking through a supermarket. Faced with dozens of products competing for attention, you are unlikely to consciously inspect every logo, colour, package or message. Instead, previous experiences can make certain things easier to recognise. As Professor Byron Sharp explains, noticing is influenced not only by what is physically prominent but also by the memory structures people already have. A familiar brand can therefore be easier to notice because the consumer already has something in memory that helps identify it.

This is where distinctive brand assets become important. A distinctive asset might be a colour, logo, package shape, character, tagline or other recognisable cue associated with a brand. Kantar describes these assets as mental shortcuts that activate memories linked to previous communications or brand experiences. Their research also highlights the importance of clarity, consistency and repeated use in strengthening these memory structures over time.

The implication for marketers is that attention is not simply about making an advertisement louder, brighter or more unusual. Creativity can certainly help an advertisement attract attention, but the consumer also needs to connect what they are seeing with the brand. An entertaining campaign that people remember as an advertisement but cannot associate with a particular brand may have limited value for building brand memory. Sharp makes a similar distinction, arguing that marketers need consumers to notice the brand, not simply the creative execution.

At the same time, it would be misleading to suggest that memory develops without any attention whatsoever. Nigel Hollis points to research suggesting that attention during the initial encoding of information plays an important role even in implicit memory. His argument is that advertising still needs to earn some level of attention, particularly when marketers want consumers to learn something from the communication. Repetition can then help reinforce what has already been encoded.

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This helps explain why familiar marketing assets can be powerful. A consumer may not consciously think, “I recognise that particular shade of red because I have seen this brand repeatedly.” Yet the cue can still make the brand easier to process or bring it to mind when a relevant buying situation arises. Studies of online advertising have similarly explored how incidental exposure can leave implicit traces and affect brand-related responses without conscious recollection of the original exposure.

For marketers, the lesson is less about trying to bypass conscious thought and more about building memory structures that make brands easier to recognise. Consistently using distinctive assets across advertising, packaging, digital experiences and other touchpoints can give consumers repeated opportunities to learn the brand. Over time, those familiar cues can become shortcuts that help the brand stand out in an increasingly crowded environment.

Ultimately, Implicit Memory reminds marketers that advertising does not operate only through what consumers can consciously recall. What people have encountered before can influence what feels familiar, what gets recognised, and what is easier to notice. The challenge is therefore not simply to create something that demands attention once, but to build distinctive and consistent brand cues that consumers can recognise again and again.

– Written by Saad Rashid, an experienced journalist with extensive experience across both print and digital media. He has worked with various publications in India and internationally and has reached millions of readers through his thought-provoking articles.