Attention.

“You cannot sell a man who isn't listening” - Bill Bernbach

The company I worked at which had the most influence on my career was DDB Sydney. 

The “B” was Bill Bernbach – considered the “godfather of modern advertising”. I tried to convince the new interns I was the “DD” but nobody was buying it. In the late 90’s DDB gave all employees a small, square grey book called “Bill Bernbach said…” which consisted only of quotes from the great man like the above. 

What Bill said back then is still true today. We often talk about “The Attention Economy” and there are more things to distract us today than ever before – Insta, TikTok, Facebook, Netflix, news.com.au – there is barely a moment when an organisation doesn’t want some of our attention because when it does have our attention, it can either sell us stuff or justify its existence to keep us subscribed to it.

Back when Bill espoused this quote, he was referring mainly to advertising that engages – that is still true today but it can be memorable advertising, content or a fantastic customer experience that gets our attention and holds it. An organisation has so many tools in its toolbox to do this today. However, there are a few crucial steps for a brand to get ROI out of attention and it is: R.O.I. – Relevance. Originality. Impact. – another DDB mechanic.

Impact is about cutting through the noise and getting the attention of your target audience.

Originality is the payoff for that attention – the audience feels the investment of their attention is rewarded by being presented with something interesting they’ve not seen before. 

Relevance is how you connect this attention to your brand – if  your commercial proposition has nothing to do with the attention you have sought, you will disappoint your target audience and all will be in vain. 

Today we can cut-through and get and retain the attention of audiences in creative and interesting ways – but think broadly about what is possible to deliver your compelling brand proposition. Do you need a 5” pre-roll on a web video? Is a bus shelter the best way to deliver your message? Could a feature-length documentary on your website be the best vehicle to use? Could a thought-leadership podcast cut-through? Do you have a seamless and delightful customer experience people talk about? Should you devote all of your marketing budget to one kick-arse 60” TV spot in the AFL Grand Final? Or would a series of small, space press ads do the job?  

Whichever the medium, ROI gets you ROI and will help you sell a man (or woman or non-binary person) because they are more likely to be listening.