The amount of information produced and consumed by humanity is only increasing from year to year. The University of Southern California calculated that the amount of information consumed daily by a person in 1986 was comparable to 40 newspapers, in 2006 - already with 174 newspapers. Another circumstance complicates life: valuable information is always interspersed with background noise. But the amount of information that you can assimilate - this indicator, unfortunately, has not grown and is unlikely to grow significantly in the near future. As a result, a person's attention becomes scarce, and one has to desperately fight for it. In an attempt to keep up with the frantic pace of life, a person begins to do several things at the same time, but you know that multitasking is not the strongest side of human nature. Now there is a fight for attention - people are fighting,whole companies are fighting each other. It is especially difficult for startups in such harsh conditions, and only those who can pay attention not to the very image of a startup, but to the uniqueness of the proposal win.
Idea 1. How our attention is formed
What could more accurately resemble the inclusion of attention than the process of striking fire? Nothing. Adrian Grenier, documentary filmmaker, compared the two processes and figuratively outlined the following stages in the formation of attention:
1. "Striking a spark" (involuntary attention). A random loud sound, or an unusual bright color - all of this can attract a person's attention in an unexpected way. At one point, human reflexes are activated, which were once only a natural reaction to danger or gave a chance to satisfy a need: for food, shelter, or something else. Knowledge about conditioned reflexes is widely used in life, for example, road workers with bright vests attract the attention of drivers.
2. "Fanning the flame" (activation of short-term attention). To fan the spark (attention), it is important that it does not go out. In other words, the necessary information should get into the person's short-term memory, where all the events to which the person turned their attention first go. True, the possibilities of short-term memory are far from endless, just as the resistance of the flame under the gusts of wind is not endless. You need to make every effort to demonstrate the distinctive features of the product so that the audience's attention does not go out like a small light.
3. "Keeping the fire" (sustained attention). The stage of information flow from short-term to long-term memory, already in which the acquired knowledge is combined with the previous accumulated experience. At this stage, only knowledge and experience can sustain interest.
The eight-bit hero of the Super Mario game, the plumber Mario, kindled the fire well. The first thing that attracted the attention of gamers in the hero was the unusual appearance of the character: mustache, baseball cap, long nose and red jumpsuit. The game was simple, but fun in the process, which was deposited in the short-term memory of many players. Long-term memorization Mario provided with his closeness to people, similarity to them. Mario was remembered and became one of the iconic characters in pop culture.
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Idea 2. Attention activators
Life requires constant attraction of attention for various reasons, be it social, even personal, or business. For example, in business, you have to attract attention to stand out from the crowd. Moreover, you often have to turn to different types of attention. Short term - for donation or advice. And in constant collaboration, you need to have long-term attention.
In order to attract the attention of the audience, you do not need much money or effort, you just need to apply a number of simple but effective techniques: framing, automatism, breaking stereotypes, reward, reputation, riddle, recognition. You can use the techniques either individually or in combination with each other.
1. Framing
Framing is the backbone of our attention activators. Our attention is always focused. Knowledge, experience, perceptions and opinions help to select attention goals. Of these, the so-called. system of frames. Framing brings together a range of ideas and thoughts to match the needs, ideas, values and goals of the audience. We use the same frames because people are focusing on the same things. Ideas turn out to be inert. As an example - political views, which we rarely change, because we simply do not have enough mental energy for this. To overcome the lack of energy and inertia of ideas, framing has several tools - "agenda shaping" and "adaptation". "Adaptation" helps you find strong connections between the mindset of your audience and your message. Study the culture of the audience, living conditions,needs and habits. Agenda Tool - repeating the same topic for the audience. If you want to draw attention to the needs of the company, then you can emphasize the importance of competitiveness, for example.
2. Automatism
Bright buttons, unexpected sounds, catchy colors - modern marketers know how to grab short-term consumer attention. Their skills are rooted in scientifically based data on the nature of human attention. The strongest signal for our brain is color. The most striking colors are yellow, red and orange, which are combined with neutral background colors like white, green, and others. The perception of colors is often influenced by a person's cultural traditions. For example, in Africa, red symbolizes death, but in India it serves as a symbol of purity.
You can express a message or idea in different ways, for example, through the shape of an object. The logo of the company should evoke certain associations in the minds of the consumer, which must first be created thoroughly. Yes, some of the logos rely on already existing associations, but the other (most) part is trying to rely on the new consumer experience associated only with the consumption of the product itself.
Now let's move on to unexpected sounds. They work pretty well, especially in conjunction with bright, defiant colors. Examples of unexpected sounds can be sharp audio interruptions in advertisements, simple advertising songs, and the like. Sound is also associated with such an interesting theory as the "attenuator model", the essence of which is that the person's sounded name best attracts the attention of a person.
3. Breaking stereotypes
Our life is full of unexpected discoveries that quickly knock a person out of their usual knurled rut. Breaking stereotypes is based on significance, surprise, and simplicity. It is these three components that will be able to attract a person's attention for a while. So, unexpectedness will attract automatic attention, significance implies that you have the author's version of solving a painful problem, and simplicity gives an understanding of the correct sequence of steps to solving the problem. However, keep in mind that complex messages increase the likelihood of incorrect "breaking stereotypes" and unpredictable reactions of the target audience.
4. Reward
This activator is good because it engages both short-term and long-term attention. Reward can be external and internal, but in any case, it causes a feeling of pleasure in the human brain, and all thanks to the production of the corresponding neurotransmitter - dopamine. Each of the types of rewards has its own scope. Intrinsic rewards are deep motivation that awakens feelings of well-being or satisfaction in a person and ensures long-term interest in a product. External rewards are usually gifts or money - they are needed to achieve short-term goals.
5. Reputation
67% of people trust experts and scientists in one way or another. And this figure shows how much people tend to trust authorities. Authorities tend to draw attention to specific issues or concerns. And the authority doesn't have to be famous. To attract short-term attention, it is sufficient to have “just” expert knowledge in a particular area. If you will attract the attention of the audience with the help of an invited expert, then the “reputation” activator can be combined with “framing” and “persuasion”. Reputation is a consequence of the public opinion. Unfortunately, an expert is not always an authority. Often the crowd itself becomes the authority. When this happens, even the most intelligent people begin to do inexplicable, irrational things like investing in obvious pyramid schemes. You need to considerthat the opinion of the crowd is very changeable, and the reputation activator requires constant effort. The most effective area for reputation management today is social media.
6. Riddle
This activator encourages the audience to become interested in what is being offered to them and in those who are offering it. Many activators assume messages that are simple in form and meaning, but a “riddle” implies a message that is difficult to understand. The audience should try to solve the proposed riddle for themselves. The solution involves dopamine receptors, as it offers a reward for a successful solution. And all the riddles are built on two cognitive mechanisms. First, it is difficult for a person to forget what he has not finished doing. The second mechanism consists in a person's dislike for all sorts of uncertainties and unknowns, people subconsciously strive to have complete and most comprehensive information. The activator will work well if you add unpredictability, intrigue to the story,interrupting the story at a crucial moment and you can emotionally involve the reader in the story.
7. Recognition
Why is recognition so important to people? Because it immediately affects the three most important aspects of a person's life - self-affirmation, recognition and empathy. There are several ways to express audience recognition. The first way is indirect. For example, in the 50s. Betty Crocker, the manufacturer of home baking mix, beat its competitors by stopping adding egg powder to the mix, because real housewives can add eggs to baked goods on their own. The second way to express recognition is direct, for example, through classic blog feedback. The blogger is grateful to his subscribers. Conclusion: acting through this activator, we attract attention only when we ourselves draw it to someone.