In today’s digital era, attention has become the rarest and most valuable commodity.
We asked our Members what keeps them up at night and 69% of people in our first pulse survey with Play Verto said “winning attention”. So we asked Lex Bradshaw-Zanger, Chief Marketing & Digital Officer, L’Oréal Groupe, SAPMENA Region and Singapore Board Member to share his insight into navigating the short attention economy.
Navigating the Short Attention Economy
The surge in content across social platforms, streaming services, and short-form video apps has compressed the window in which brands and organizations can capture interest, often to just a few seconds. Amid this rapid, fragmented environment, marketers are challenged to make every moment count.
Marketing itself hasn’t changed, but marketers must adapt, embracing new approaches in a landscape built on countless small, meaningful moments rather than on singular, grand campaigns.
A valuable framework for this environment is the concept often cited in marketing circles: success is built through “lots of littles.” (Tom Roach). In practice, that means harnessing a multitude of coordinated micro-interactions; quick videos, influencer mentions, memes, or brief social posts that may seem fleeting individually, but together create a powerful fabric of brand recognition and engagement.
Authenticity and personalization are now essential to standing out. Today’s audiences, especially younger ones, gravitate toward real voices, advocates, influencers, and peers, rather than relying solely on traditional advertising. By empowering these voices with flexible branded content that incorporates iconic codes, logos, taglines, sonic elements, or design cues, brands can forge genuine connections.
Consistency, however, is just as crucial as creativity. Unified brand elements, visual, verbal, or sensory act as instant triggers for recognition, enabling organizations to be remembered even in an endless scroll or a fleeting short-form video. Yet, encouraging creative reinterpretation within these boundaries tailored for local markets or emerging platforms, ensures those interactions remain lively and relevant.
Some of the world’s most dynamic digital landscapes, especially in Asia, are leading the way. Mobile-first consumers and integrated “super-app” ecosystems drive a pace of content creation and innovation that challenges marketers to localize, partner with influential creators, and operate with agility without losing sight of core identity.
Success in the short attention economy ultimately comes from a blend of agility, authenticity, and strategic consistency turning each small brand moment into lasting awareness and loyalty.
Key Takeaways for Marketers
Micro-moments make the difference
The combined power of many small, coordinated interactions is greater than relying on single big-impact initiatives.
Consistency enables recall
Unified brand codes and recognition cues amplify impact across platforms and formats.
Local and cultural agility wins
Strong partnerships and content tailored to local audiences are key in fast-evolving, diverse markets.
In an era where attention is the rarest currency, marketing hasn’t changed, but marketers must—embracing consistency, authenticity, and countless small brand moments to earn loyalty, not just views.
Lex Bradshaw-Zanger L’Oréal Groupe
Recommended Actions
- Empower advocates and community voices: Give trusted creators and ambassadors the tools to share authentic stories and experiences, within clear brand guidelines yet with room for creative expression.
- Unify and adapt brand codes across platforms: Define and enforce consistent cues, visual, verbal, sonic, optimized for new and emerging content environments, ensuring immediate recognition.
Authored by Lex Bradshaw-Zanger Chief Marketing & Digital Officer, L’Oréal Groupe, SAPMENA Region and Board Member for The Marketing Society Singapore
