A study published by the Journal of Marketing Research has found that the more energetic TV commercials are, the more likely viewers pay attention. In fact, energy has replaced volume since legislative restrictions on loudness went into effect in 2010.

But how do you measure energy? What are the exact characteristics?

The researchers determined that by measuring attributes of the audio, using data and categories from half-million songs on Spotify, said Papatla, professor of marketing at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a coauthor on the study.  

They then correlated their new “definition” of audio energy with viewing patterns – the number of people who sat through the first 10 seconds, 20 seconds, and so on. 

Papatla’s research examines consumer psychology in online retailing and other kinds of advertising, especially with datasets from social media.