Volume 4 No. 2: How to capture consumer attention

You’ve probably heard the average human attention span is a mere eight seconds, less than that of a goldfish.  

 

But it’s a myth. 

 

First, goldfish can remember things for months. Second, the human attention span hasn’t diminished. We simply have more demanding that attention in the modern world. 

 

Which makes marketers’ work developing effective communications that stands out from the many, many demands on that attention even more challenging—and crucial. 

 

   Marketing Myths   

Viewers pay less more attention to linear TV ads than CTV ads.

Each week, we break down a common misconception around TV advertising.

As TV viewing habits have shifted, marketers working to connect their brand with potential customers have turned to CTV. 

 

After all, CTV’s advanced targeting options meant showing your ad only to audiences for whom it would be most relevant. And if consumers see content they care about and are interested in, of course they’d pay more attention to it. 

 

Attention certainly matters. The longer someone pays attention to an ad, the longer the brand stays in their memory. The longer an ad stays in their memory, the more likely they are to later make a purchase or even recommend it to others. 

 

Although attention levels for CTV programming are higher than for linear programming, when it comes to commercials, last year, CTV’s attention level was only 31% compared to linear’s 37%.

  

Granted, there’s a lot that can be done to improve an individual commercial’s attention, especially related to the content’s messaging and storyline. And the gap between the two numbers has already started to narrow this year. But in an age of endless demands on consumer attention, even a couple of percentage points in ad attention is far from insignificant. 

 

What's the takeaway? CTV’s targeting and personalization doesn’t necessarily translate to greater ad attention. Think about using a balance of linear and CTV in your TV campaigns to have the greatest possible impact. 

 

  Advertising Answers  

Question: How do I balance streaming and linear TV in my campaign?

We take the web’s most searched questions about TV advertising to a range of marketing experts who can’t help but love TV.

 

Answer: “Because there’s this intense focus on streaming, advertisers tend to be asking "Should I be on streaming?" But what they should be asking is "How do I define my audience?" to figure out where your audience is watching. It's important to consider how best to find that audience, measure where that audience is, execute the campaign, and measure those results. Then use that to inform future campaigns and refine the breakout across linear and streaming.” 

 

— Marrika Zapiler, Director of Advanced TV

 

Marrika dedicates her energy to expanding the agency’s streaming capabilities. And while she’s never taken a marketing class, Marrika attributes her college study of Latin and ancient civilizations for developing strong critical thinking and communication skills.  

 

  Channel Changers  

Listen: The Marketing Book Podcast

Here we celebrate books, podcasts, videos, and influencers that are actively pushing marketing into the future.

The Marketing Book Podcast is a go-to for business owners and marketers who want to learn about new ideas in the marketing world. Every week, Douglas Burdett interviews marketing and sales authors and industry leaders to discuss their new books.  

 

Our favorite insight? Maria Brito reveals everything we know about creativity is a lie. Creativity is not a skill only a select few have. Rather, it’s about “fostering specific habits, making associations, and standing behind the ideas that come out of that.”  

 

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