Designing Brand Experiences for Time and Attention

We apologize that this isn’t a 15-second TikTok video...

To be honest, we’re not sure you’ve even read this far, knowing the battle for time and attention has gone nuclear. Think about it:

• Television “news” is competing with reruns of Big Brother with a focus on entertaining conflict.
• Social media platforms recognize people’s diminished attention span by allowing 7-second pre-roll ads.
• TikTok preloads multiple videos to algorithmically deliver users another clip with a thumb-flip the moment     they think “NEXT!”

How can brands stand out when the public is more entertaining than the professionals? How can you design a brand experience that competes for time and attention before the consumer says, “NEXT!”

When customers buy our products or services, they spend their money and their time.

No matter how cool we think it is that their cursor transforms into a butterfly while surfing our website, it’s nowhere near as cool as a regular guy drinking cranberry juice skating to work with Fleetwood Mac blasting.

We need to respect and value their time with our brand.

It’s fantastic if we can hold their attention for more than a few moments, but their joy and fulfillment need to be palpable.

If not, they’ll only know your brand took time away from watching people lip-sync Dua Lipa songs.

Is your brand Costco? Are people willing to spend more time with you, traversing a cavernous warehouse because you’re offering the lowest possible price?

Or are you 7/11, and people don’t mind paying $3 for a can of Coke because you offer the convenience of being available 24/7/365, and they can be in and out in a couple of minutes?

It’s okay to be either, but know who you are and what your customers want you to be.

In the new attention economy, brands aren’t only competing with other companies for attention; they’re competing with the people themselves.

If you’re a new company, it’s not as easy as having a helpful product; list your features and benefits and expect people to choose you over “It’s corn!” 🌽

It might be best not to be a company at all. Instead, it might be best to act human by making your brand identifiable and relatable.

Imagine introducing yourself at a dinner party. Are you a fun person? Do you enjoy the French cinema or monster truck rallies?

Your brand needs to socialize with people; if you’re only there when you want something, you’re a lousy friend, and people won’t want to be around your brand.

Building a consistent brand personality across your social media channels and advertising campaigns allows people to get to know you, trust you, and eventually call you a friend.

Everyone has a story; what is your brand’s story? For example, a struggling comedian decided to lip-sync a president’s speech, and boom, she earned internet virality and eventually a Netflix special.

Did your friend ask you to help him sell 250,000 razor blades, and you decided that a monthly delivery service was the best way to unload them?

Like any good character in your customer’s favourite film, there’s always a compelling backstory; make sure people know yours.

You can tell people how great your products are all day, but they rarely carry the weight of a trusted pal vouching for your worth.

Word-of-mouth marketing is still the surest way to gain people’s trust and earn sales.

Now, it’s time to use your social skills. Create a buzz-worthy moment and maximize the buzz by reinforcing your personality and sharing your story with the public.

Make it easy and compelling enough for people to invest their time and attention in sharing your brand’s story and moments.

If you’ve taken care to value their time and reward their attention, they’ll wait until the end of your moment before flipping their thumb, “NEXT!”

Developing a brand personality can be daunting for any new company. Merchant North is well-equipped to prepare you for the battle for the public’s attention.

Make the call to discuss how we will help you earn people’s time and attention.

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