This post was created in partnership with Screenvision Media
Key takeaways
- It’s still possible for brands to break through in an increasingly fractured media environment.
- Consumers inundated by AI are craving authenticity and real human moments.
- Focused and niche immersive and in-person experiences are a great way to get attention from distracted consumers.
Shrinking attention spans, multiple screens, and endless content streams have marketers exploring new ways to earn attention, remain culturally relevant, and show up for audiences in meaningful ways.
During an ADWEEK House Advertising HQ Group Chat co-hosted with Screenvision Media, industry leaders discussed how brands are breaking through and building lasting connections with audiences through immersive environments, high-impact cultural touchpoints, and good old-fashioned storytelling.
(L-R) Zoom’s Whitney Magnuson, Screenvision Media’s Kevin McGaw, Lyft’s Jessica BryndzaEmbracing distraction culture
How can brands earn attention at a time when there are so many options for audiences? Kevin McGaw, SVP and head of marketing for Screenvision Media, got the discussion going by pointing out that young people are more attentive than brands assume.
Case in point: “90% of Gen Z has gone to the movies in the past year, so they’re looking for ways to unplug, ways to connect, and have communal experiences together,” shared McGaw.
In other words, it’s time to reframe the conversation, said Mona Munayyer Gonzalez, president of Pereira O’Dell. Rather than say younger audiences are constantly distracted, brands need to recognize that their culture is distraction. “They are opting into that, and they’re comfortable with it. They are moving much more easily around the world, between screens, between experiences, and they thrive off that,” she explained.
The question shouldn’t be “How do we get attention from someone who’s never paying attention?” Gonzalez added. “They are. They’re just doing it and behaving in a different way than we’re all used to.”