Regulators, media researchers and effectiveness data all point to the same thing: attention hasn’t collapsed.
I’ve been reading a bit about pervasive nonsense over the last couple of weeks. One of my favourites that always does the rounds is the idea that people now have shorter attention spans.
Does anyone really believe we’ve been biologically altered over the last 20 years?
People still binge entire series.
They listen to long podcasts.
They spend hours working through the latest video games.
What’s been blasted to smithereens isn’t attention. It’s tolerance. And understanding that changes the problem we actually need to solve.
The most common response to falling engagement is to increase speed and volume. More content. Faster cycles. More formats. More “always-on” activity. But rushed work rarely earns attention. It just burns through that precious tolerance faster than ever.
Attention can’t be hacked or automated. It has to be deserved through relevance, timing, restraint, and a good nose for your market and audience.
By Dave Heywood
A marketer who’s spent his career figuring out how real growth happens – for brands and people alike. He runs Marketing Careers Uncovered, a podcast where marketers talk honestly about the work, the missteps, and what actually moves the needle.
