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- 🗝 8 Keys to unlocking consumer attention
🗝 8 Keys to unlocking consumer attention
PLUS: Which demographic actually uses their phones the most?
Welcome to Thursday. We rebranded👆🏽🎉. We felt it was time for a little change, and for our logo to embody a little more of a marketing feel while not deviating too far from where we were before. After all, in the words of the great Seth Godin, “brand is not logo.” Enough about us…
YouGov released a new report that outlines media consumption and engagement across different generations over the past five years. Do you know which age group indexes the highest for mobile phone usage?
People ages 45 - 54… 😲
Kind of surprising. The YouGov report also confirms the popular notion that the most likely people to use Facebook are, in fact, your crazy aunt and grandma. If you want to read the full report, you can download it by clicking here (you might have to set up a profile).
In this week’s newsletter:
Apple Vision Pro emerges as the top consumer headset🥽
Publicis Groupe invests in artificial intelligence in a big way🤖
Gaming advertising continues to generate great results🎮
A genius Ad of the week🧠
Strategy time: 8 Keys to Unlock Consumer Attention
Was this forwarded to you? Click here to join 👇🏽 our growing community of readers


The Apple Vision Pro dominates the consumer headset market with cutting-edge spatial computing for augmented reality. Despite its sleek design and elite status, weight and comfort issues during extended use are notable. Moreover, the price tag may shock some prospective buyers…

Publicis Groupe is investing €300 million ($325 million) over the next three years in generative AI, backing its in-house platform, CoreAI. Utilizing data from 2.3 billion consumer profiles, CoreAI covers insights, media, creative, software, and operations. The investment aims to make Publicis an AI-powered Intelligent System, fostering connectivity across the group. CEO Arthur Sadoun positions it as a reinvention, enhancing efficiency with generative AI while acknowledging the tool's role in pushing creative boundaries. CoreAI, trained on Epsilon, Sapient, CitrusAd, Profitero, and Marcel data, plans alpha testing in H1 2024.

Gaming platform Twitch stands out for advertisers, delivering high brand recall and preference, according to Dentsu. Despite recent industry turbulence, with layoffs at Microsoft, Riot Games, and Twitch, the benefits of advertising on Twitch may outweigh challenges. Ads during livestreams on gaming platforms achieve a 57% brand recall, surpassing the 38% norm for other channels. Different gaming ad formats, including rewarded videos and intrinsic in-game advertising, show varying effectiveness. Intrinsic ads, resembling in-game billboards, capture attention for an average of 3,442 seconds, outperforming traditional online ads. Rewarded videos, offering rewards for viewing, also prove successful with a 100% on-screen impression rate and a high opt-in rate. The study emphasizes the need for advertisers to understand the gaming environment and tailor creatives accordingly.

This is where we share our favorite ad each week, some old, some new👇🏼
Anyone who has been following us for even a little while knows that we love advertising that injects humor and self awareness. This spot from Consumer Cellular is hilarious, cringey, and does a nice job of engaging the viewer.
Enjoy!
Want a deeper dive? In 2024, be on the lookout for “Backing Into the Brief” — a more detailed analysis of marketing campaigns where we work backwards from existing commercials to identify our definitions of the creative brief.

Each week we’ll discuss any given topic related to marketing👇🏼
8 Keys to Unlock Consumer Attention
In marketing, attention is everything. Yet, the consumer attention span has done nothing but shrink exponentially over the past decade. In fact, research indicates that the average human attention span has decreased in recent years, with studies suggesting it hovers around 8 seconds. This short timeframe emphasizes the importance of delivering concise and impactful messages to capture attention quickly. In honor of the eight seconds available to each of us marketers, here are eight ways for you to unlock consumer attention (one per second, for you pros)…
1. Cognitive Load and Information Overload:
The human brain has limited cognitive resources, and when bombarded with excessive information, it can lead to cognitive overload. Consumers tend to disengage when faced with too much information. To combat this, focus on presenting key messages and information clearly, avoiding unnecessary complexity.
2. Visual Processing Dominance:
Scientific studies reveal that the human brain processes visual information faster than text. Incorporating compelling visuals in your marketing, such as high-quality images, infographics, and videos, can significantly enhance engagement by leveraging the brain's preference for visual stimuli.
3. Emotion and Attention:
Emotion plays a crucial role in capturing and retaining attention. Research indicates that emotionally charged content is more likely to be remembered. Crafting marketing messages that evoke positive emotions or resonate with your audience on a personal level can lead to a more profound impact.
4. Personalization and Relevance:
Personalized content is more likely to attract and hold consumer attention. Data-driven personalization, based on user preferences and behavior, has been proven to increase engagement. Tailor your messages to individual interests and needs to create a more meaningful connection.
5. Novelty and Intrigue:
Novelty has a powerful effect on the brain's reward system, sparking curiosity and heightened attention. Introduce novel elements in your marketing campaigns, such as unique storytelling angles, creative visuals, or innovative product features, to capture consumers' interest and keep them engaged.
6. Frustration and Attention:
On the flip side, consumer frustration can quickly lead to disengagement. Slow-loading websites, unclear messaging, or a cumbersome user experience can frustrate consumers, prompting them to abandon your content. Ensure a seamless and user-friendly experience to prevent frustration and maintain attention.
7. Mobile Attention Patterns:
With the prevalence of mobile devices, understanding mobile attention patterns is crucial. Studies show that users often engage in brief, frequent interactions on mobile platforms. Optimize your content for mobile consumption, keeping it easily digestible and compelling within shorter timeframes.
8. Social Proof and Trust:
Consumers are more likely to pay attention to content that is supported by social proof, such as reviews, testimonials, or endorsements. Building trust through transparent and authentic communication can enhance the credibility of your brand, capturing and maintaining consumer attention.
By incorporating these scientific insights into your marketing strategy, you can create content that aligns with the cognitive processes and preferences of your target audience, ultimately leading to more effective engagement and increased attention retention.
Want to read more? Click here to read last week’s newsletter👇🏽

Our favorite content from this week!👇🏼

The consumer isn’t a moron; she is your wife
Thanks for reading! See you next Thursday!👋🏼
