Never before has there been so many communication channels and so much content, while at the same time less audience attention. Measuring attention is becoming one of the main demands of marketing professionals, and the question of all questions is how to present content that will capture the attention of an unreliable audience and sell them the desired product. Attention is an important driver of brand success as there is a strong connection between attention and positive brand outcomes. The longer people stay on an ad, the better the results, which is why attention was the topic discussed at the first panel of Lider’s ninth Marketing and Sales by Numbers conference.
– Everyone loves digital channels because they are easily measurable, but attention can be measured on everything. Why are companies measuring it now? Because technologies are changing, it is necessary to connect different media and target different audiences, and what has definitely been proven is that there is a connection between sales and attention as well as the brand itself and attention – said Marko Jambrešić, Business Lead at iProspect, part of Dentsu.
According to Jambrešić, attention is not the same for everyone, so ‘boomers‘ have longer attention spans than Generation Z, which means it is necessary to research both as every brand has a different target audience.
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Owner and Creative Director of Pink Moon, Hrvoje Škurla, believes that communication today cannot be done in the same way as before, and that the entire communication and marketing sector is naturally changing, adapting, and actually growing with new communication channels and technological development.
Škurla also stated that he is aware that today’s formats will one day be viewed as long formats, so for example, 12 seconds will be considered too long, but with the shortening of content, there will be additional content accumulation, which will further reduce attention, and content will have to be even shorter. He also reflected on different generations.
– Content can be better divided by ambitions, not by generations because we are not all the same generation, but we all have some of the same ambitions, and that is something by which we can divide people – said Škurla, who also dedicated attention to ‘binging’, citing the series Baby Raindeer, which was made as a series of sketches as an example of change in ‘binging’.
– We are constantly waiting for dopamine; if there are no cliff hangers, we won’t watch the series – said Škurla, who emphasized that to attract attention in marketing, a ‘hook’ is needed, so one must go for humor, emotions, try to be consistent, and keep in mind that there is excessive ‘bombarding’ with content.
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That humor can excellently attract attention was confirmed by senior digital marketing specialist at Addiko Bank, Mia Lasić, considering that Addiko Bank has started using humor in communication, citing their humorous campaign for the introduction of the euro as the official currency in Croatia, which became viral and stood out compared to the competition.
– There is no universal solution, and I think every company needs to find its own way. It all depends on the target audiences, communication channels, but also on business goals – said Lasić, who urged everyone to be brave, and that it is actually best to test what works.
– Humor worked excellently for us because no one expected that from a bank, so be brave, different, and test different ways of communication – Lasić advised.
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The head of the digital marketing group at Hrvatski Telekom, Ivana Postružin, believes that attention affects the way communication is faster today than ever before, and segmentation is key for quality communication. However, due to new channels and trends, segmentation now requires additional segmentation, which demands much more resources and people in companies.
