Winning the Battle for Attention

Good morning! Welcome back to Scaling Greatness, a newsletter from Integreon focusing on amplifying business excellence and innovation. Hit the subscribe button to receive an update when new editions are published.

?? by Murray Joslin , Editor in Chief

Attention spans are getting shorter. Much, much shorter.

Dr. Gloria Mark, the Chancellor’s Professor of Informatics at the University of California Irvine, studies how humans interact with and are influenced by technology in real world environments. In her book, Attention Span: A Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness and Productivity, she shares the findings from her decades of research and reports that attention spans on any screen have declined from 2.5 minutes in 2004 to just 47 seconds by 2020.

Tech-enabled multitasking, Mark argues, may be to blame – rapid movement between different tasks and tabs is now natural for most of us, but the behavior incurs “switch costs” which consume mental resources, making it harder to focus for long periods.

For companies who create and publish content in any capacity, these are unnerving findings. If attention spans are dropping, what does that mean for traditional written content? If nobody wants to read, does that mean your meticulously crafted white paper is dead on arrival?

We don’t think so. The success of any business content depends on how well the writer/creator understands their audience. The time the reader has to spare and the strength (or lack of strength) of their focus are two factors, among many, that content creators should be considering when crafting material.

So don’t throw out the white paper just yet; its appropriateness depends entirely on what your audience wants to see. If your consumers are educated professionals from the world of finance and tech, they may prefer in-depth written content and eschew your TikToks. If your audience skews younger, interactivity and accessibility may be the way to go. If your audience is a diverse mix of ages and professions, repurposing material to target different brackets could be the right approach.

Ultimately, shrinking attention spans don’t diminish the value of well-crafted content. They simply call for a more strategic approach to content creation. To win the battle for attention, you need to understand your audience and align your material with their preferences and behaviors. Your company's insights are valuable; it’s just about delivering them in the most effective way.

? ?CMOs Now Embracing GenAI to Gain Efficiencies and Unlock Growth

Investment in generative AI (GenAI) tools is already having a material impact on marketing efficiency, according to a recent survey of chief marketing officers by BCG.

In the poll – which BCG conducted in collaboration with the Association of National Advertisers – more than 200 CMOs shared views on the rollout of GenAI, the effectiveness of popular tools and the potential growth that new applications could support.

Roughly 80% of respondents said that GenAI has had a positive impact on automation, speed and productivity. Half of the CMOs polled said that their firms have deployed GenAI in content creation, with a focus on creating early-stage copy and imagery for advertising that human marketers develop and refine ahead of publication. Campaigns can now be launched in “hours instead of weeks,” according to the research; one pharmaceutical company reports doubling the ROI of its social media advertising spending via the use of GenAI tools in content creation, quality control and compliance processes. Other applications of GenAI that hold promise for impacting growth, like personalization and customer insights generation, take longer to put in place and scale, respondents reported.

BCG respondents noted, however, that gen AI tools aren’t perfect; some of the CMOs pointed out that GenAI outputs can feel bland and suggested that uncritical deployment of AI-authored material could degrade the quality of a firm’s carefully crafted brand voice. While the number of CMOs who feel anxious about GenAI has fallen versus the 2023 iteration of the survey, the number of outright rejectors has grown from 12 to 18.

What can you do to get the most out of GenAI in marketing?

Consider creating an informal team or more established Center of Excellence for GenAI in marketing to help create focus and guideposts for use, as well as metrics to assess impact on both efficiency as well as effectiveness. Or work with an AI-enabled services firm (like Integreon) to guide you on how to extract the most value from this new technology, quickly and at scale.

? ?Recently at Integreon...

Earlier this fall, our own Murray Joslin sat down with Michael Webb at Consulting Magazine to discuss the critical aspects that shape success for consulting firms. The conversation covered the art of rainmaking, secrets to cultivating strong relationships and what really matters to clients.

Listen to the podcast to hear the full conversation.

As a trusted partner to many of today’s dynamic and forward-thinking organizations, Integreon has first-hand experience in helping clients to recognize and take full advantage of their best ideas. Clients look to Integreon for help streamlining communications, research and design - creating impactful content and materials for both internal and external consumption. You can learn more about Integreon’s work here.

Ready to learn more about scaling your firm’s greatness?

Let’s start a conversation:

Murray Joslin | Editor in Chief | Executive Vice President, Creative & Business Solutions

Emily Watkins | Executive Editor | Senior Marketing Manager, Creative & Business Solutions