On your route home, you are busy sharing a hilarious video your spouse/partner just messaged you … and finally, you relax in front of the TV and get sucked into YouTube clips of The Late Late Show's latest Carpool Karaoke. If this sounds about right, your day is not unusual. It is not even bad. It's just our reality. It's the reality of having endless media options vying for our attention, with video playing a major role.
The consumer me thinks, "This is great. I can watch what I want, when I want, whenever I can squeeze it in!" While the marketer me thinks, "Wow, this is overwhelming."
At agencies, it is our job to help clients adapt to this new attention economy -- and I have noticed the same old myths holding back marketers from committing to change.
So, here's a reality check.
Myth No. 1: People have the attention span of goldfish
I regularly hear it said that attention spans have shrunk. In reality, people can and do still pay attention. New research shows 81% of video viewing sessions capture people's attention.[i]
If anything, we are paying more attention than ever before. What has changed, however, is our zero tolerance for timewasters.
Think about your own life. You no longer put up with something just because it is on. Ten years ago, you may have sat through a video you didn't find interesting. Now, you just "next" it, because you can.
On the other hand, when we're really interested, we invest. Hence, my marathon viewings of The Mindy Project and The Americans last weekend.
What does this mean for advertisers? It means attention is available, but the bar has been raised. If you really want someone's attention, you have to earn it.
Myth No. 2: People pay attention to all screens equally
Actually, not all screen time is equal. When you've got the TV on, how often do you find yourself fully focused on it? How does this compare to when you're watching videos on your phone?
The latest research supports what we intuitively know to be true: When people are in a "lean-forward" viewing mode versus a "lean-back" mode, they are 1.5 times as likely to pay attention. They are 1.8 times as likely to be in that mode when watching online video compared to TV.
This has been one of Kellogg's most effective bumper campaigns to date, achieving strong ad recall and consideration among key demographics. Why did it perform so well? Because it took "capturing attention" to the next level, creating a magical brand connection and experience for viewers with technology powered relevance.
Marketing in the new attention economy
In breaking down these three myths, I hope I've painted a picture of opportunity for you. Because the fact is, it's more than possible to continue to win hearts and minds in today's world of "too many options, not enough time."
Discard the myths and remember these truths:
- People still pay attention, but with more content out there than ever before, the quality bar has been raised.
- You are most likely to capture people's attention through online video.
- Once you have captured their attention, hold onto it by making your brand relevant: to each platform, each person and each context.
[i] Google/Ipsos, Video Mobile Diary, US, 2017. (A session is defined as each instance of viewing a video(s) on same category/device and platform)