The Attention Revolution: How to Break the Rules and Win in Social Media Marketing

Written by Anna Wilson, Chief Digital Officer

 

Social media marketing is in a state of flux a growing body of research suggests that deep attention – the sustained focus and engagement with content – is a more powerful metric for achieving long-term brand success.

Last week I had the pleasure of speaking at Attention Please! An event chaired by ISBA and Pinterest to discuss the implications of attention in marketing.

In this session, we showed how brands can use  ‘publisher’ prinicples in social media to increase their long-term favourablity and short-term intent. But this means brands need to breaking the rules…

 

Breaking Rule #1: Impressions Don't Equal Growth

The old adage "impressions equal growth" no longer holds true. In today's attention-deficit economy, simply getting your ad seen is not enough. Brands need to focus on creating content that captures deep attention, the kind that resonates with audiences and leaves a lasting impression.

How we break the rule: Move beyond impressions and prioritize deep attention content that leaves a lasting impression.

 

Rule #2: Efficiency Isn't Always Effective

While simple ads with pre-set objectives may be efficient for short-term results, complex messages require thoughtful narratives and longer views. Brands that sacrifice depth for efficiency are missing out on the opportunity to build lasting connections with their audience.

How to break the rule:  Don't sacrifice depth for efficiency. Complex messages require thoughtful narratives and longer views to build lasting connections.

 

Rule #3: Consideration Isn't Just a Click

Traditionally, "consideration" has been viewed as an action-based metric, focusing on clicks and conversions. However, consideration can also be behavior-based, focusing on perception change and brand belief. By generating deep attention, brands can prime audiences and enhance the effectiveness of action-based targeting.

How to break the rule: Use Deep attention primes audiences for effective action-based targeting.

 

THE KEY COMPONENTS OF DEEP ATTENTION STRATEGY

  • Distinctiveness and Memorability: Create content that stands out and resonates with audiences.

  • Human Connection: Craft relatable, emotive, and human-centric messaging to foster genuine connections.

  • Strategic Resource Allocation: Invest resources in channels and placements that reach the intended audience.

  • Managed Distribution: Adapt distribution strategies and use ongoing testing to maximize attention beyond platform limitations.

 

THE BENEFITS FOR BRANDS

Our work with Spesavers and Lumen has shown that deep attention strategies can lead to significant benefits, including:

  • Increased Salience: Enhanced brand favorability, likeability, and trust (particularly among non-customers)

  • Improved Brand Recall: Stronger consumer recall during purchase decisions.

  • Increased Intent to Purchase: Higher likelihood of buying the brand's product or service.

  • Reduced Cost per Acquisition: Lower spending to acquire new customers.

 

THE FUTURE OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING

Deep attention is poised to become an even more critical metric as social media platforms evolve. Brands that embrace deep attention strategies will be well-positioned for long-term success.

BlogsTangerine CommsIntel