This article originally appeared in Customer Think online.
By Kelly Waller
It is both intriguing and worrisome that our attention span has diminished to just eight seconds, which is even shorter than that of a goldfish. Over the past two decades, we’ve seen a 30% decline in our ability to focus. In our fast-moving world, advertisements hold our attention for merely 1.2 seconds, and video content often loses its appeal within the first two seconds. Even in Hollywood movies, shots in the most gripping scenes now last less than five seconds. As marketers, the window to make an impact is increasingly brief.
Personally, I believe the perceived dip in human attention spans isn’t a decline, but our brains adjusting to process and filter more information than ever before. As we are bombarded with images, articles and videos, our brains are learning how to quickly discern what is important and what isn’t. While we may mistakenly believe that we’ve become better at multitasking, the onslaught of information places immense stress on our brains, increasing mental health challenges.
This information overload also makes it challenging for our customers to differentiate between brands, often leading to a lack of brand loyalty. As customer-centric marketers, we must recognize this reality and tailor our communication strategies to address it effect
