What should marketers and their agencies be discussing right now?
Everyone is talking about AI. That is a given. Measurement and data are certainly popular topics. Those discussions all make sense.
There are two other topics that marketers and their agencies should be discussing right now.
Attention
Marketers and agencies that are not up to speed on the current knowledge around “attention” are undoubtedly wasting money and leaving opportunity on the table.
New research builds on Karen Nelson-Field PhD’s “Attention Economy” work with new Lumen Research and Havas Media Network analysis showing the importance of “aggregate attention”.
Attention closely correlates with outcomes
Attention drives preference and purchase
Aggregate attention drives results
The required attention volume and frequency required is different depending on the campaign goal
The implications are enormous. One example: frequency plus lower attention may be better for brand awareness, while greater attention per impression is better for purchase intent. And that is just a high level, blunt, skimming the surface summary. There is SO much more to learn.
What’s this mean for marketers?
– Creative needs to be medium specific or you’ll waste money
– Media selection and planning needs to consider attention metrics
– You should expect your agencies to be current with this learning
– Ask the agencies how they will utilize this new research
What’s this mean for agencies?
– Your teams MUST be the experts and need to incorporate this new learning
– Creative and media teams must collaborate
– Take the lead on integrating attention metrics into planning & modeling
Ad Effectiveness
Dull ads need 7 more points of share of voice to succeed (article here).
That’s right. The cost and lost opportunity of dull, ineffective advertising is enormous. We’ve known for years that ESOV (excess share of voice) correlates with increases in market share. The “Dull ads need 7 more points of share of voice to succeed” learning is from the same brilliant minds that brought us The Extraordinary Cost of Dull – a must read whitepaper and must watch video. It is a great read regardless of how you feel about your current advertising. This new learning should have every marketer’s attention. The report is based on a ton of data in the US and UK and was developed by three of the most preeminent thinkers in advertising effectiveness in the world: Peter Field (of “The Long and Short of It” fame), Adam Morgan (founder of eatbigfish) and Jon Evans of System1 (the preeminent creative advertising testing company in the world).
These advertising experts did the hard research and analysis to uncover what is driving successful and unsuccessful advertising. If you are in the advertising business you really need to know about this work.
Is your advertising dull? Are you using a proven methodology like System1 to test your ads? If you work for an agency, how are you counseling your clients?
What’s this mean for marketers and agencies?
– Creative needs to breakthrough; dull work won’t
– Campaigns MUST be tested (System1 etc.)
Paraphrasing Greg Hahn: “most advertisers don’t have the budget to be boring”.
Attention & Ad Effectiveness are linked: to each other, and success
This is a conversation that marketers and their agencies need to be having. Ask yourself these questions to start:
Is your advertising engaging, entertaining and driving an emotional response so that it is working hard for your brand? How do you know (are you testing)?
Is our creative fit for purpose – developed with the relevant medium in mind?
How should your communications plan optimize for impact given the different attention dynamics of various mediums?
What is the impact of ad quality, Attention metrics and media selection on SOV and our desired outcomes?
Steve Boehler, founder, and partner at Mercer Island Group has led consulting teams on behalf of clients as diverse as Ulta Beauty, Microsoft, UScellular, Nintendo, Kaiser Permanente, Holland America Line, Stop & Shop, Qualcomm, Brooks Running, and numerous others. He founded MIG after serving as a division president in a Fortune 100 when he was only 32. Earlier in his career, Steve Boehler cut his teeth with a decade in Brand Management at Procter & Gamble, leading brands like Tide, Pringles, and Jif.
