In Pursuit of Consumers Doing More with Less Time

February 07, 2017 by Taylor Wiegert in Strategy

There’s officially more quality content out there than we have time for. Platforms from Facebook and Snapchat to Netflix and Amazon are in a tug-of-war for user attention. It’s what has led Netflix to invest $6 billion in original content and Facebook to pursue a set-top box app for users to enjoy exclusive Facebook content on their TVs. There’s a deluge of content, and a lot of it is really, really good.

Consumer time and attention is split across different content, devices and senses. Even when some content is being consumed, it’s often at odds with other content a consumer is engaging with on another device. 90% of Millennials use their phones while using another device, which is exactly why I constantly ask my wife what just happened on a show we’re watching.

A lack of attention will be one of the biggest impediments for brands looking to grow. When consumers are unable and unwilling to lend their attention, brand messages can’t get through.

Gearing Up for the Snapchat Generation

January 10, 2017 by Taylor Wiegert in Consumer Behavior, Strategy

The holidays are a time to get together with friends and family and learn just how inept you’ve become compared to your younger family members. Watching an experienced Snapchat user go to work as they respond, Snap and share is… impressive.

As a Millennial, I like to think I can consume a lot and respond quickly, but my generation will look incredibly slow compared to the next generation. Marketers should take note. They are not going to give marketers any time to make their cases. Marketers need to embrace the speed and responsiveness of the Snapchat generation.

Investing In Attention

June 07, 2011 by Taylor Wiegert in Consumer Behavior, Future

A few weeks ago LinkedIn went public and was valued at $8.9 billion, which naturally garnered a lot of attention. The IPO was the Internet's largest since Google, and the added factor that LinkedIn as a social network is the first of its kind to go public led to a lot of interesting questions.

It's official. Social media has arrived, and LinkedIn is the first of many companies like Facebook, Groupon and Twitter to satisfy investors' yearning to invest in the latest evolution of the web.

The follow-up conversation has split in two different directions. First, is this for real, or is this another dot com bust? Second, what does this mean for marketers?

A Tech Bubble, This Is Not
LinkedIn is full of promise that didn't exist during the tech bubble of the late 1990's.

What differentiates it? For starters, LinkedIn has a user base. It's not selling the promise of users. They're already there.

LinkedIn has taken its user base to the next level by offering advertising opportunities, premium subscriptions and premium recruiting opportunities for businesses.

The point is that LinkedIn's promise is more than just a promise. It's reality. LinkedIn earns money, and it will earn more as it sees more growth in the future.

Perception of Value Is Changing
LinkedIn's IPO symbolizes more than just promise. It illustrates what marketers, platforms and content distributors already see or will soon see as valuable--attention. LinkedIn has earned attention (repeat users) and monetized them further with premium options.

This age is defined by fragmentation. Fragmented time, options and choices have in turn fragmented our attention. There's too much to focus on at any given moment, which means attention is a premium.

LinkedIn, Facebook, Groupon and others have already earned consumer attention. People go there, and they spend time there. Earning attention comes before investment takes place, and the more attention a platform earns, the more valuable it becomes.

Attention Deficit World
Supply and demand exists at the roots of economic infrastructure. Attention is a premium product, and we can expect to its value to increase as more marketers see fragmented behavior becoming the norm.