Every strategist knows that feeling: the room is full of energy, the deck is airtight, the insights are sharp. But somewhere between what we plan and what people actually feel or do, something gets lost.
As marketers, we plan for efficiency, performance, and precision. But the thing that makes people notice and care can’t be automated. It’s attention. In a world where people see over 10,000 brand messages daily, exposure has become the baseline. The challenge is being noticed, and more importantly, being remembered.
The Exposure Trap
For years, marketers have leaned on impressions, reach, and CPMs (cost per thousand). But those are table stakes, proof that we showed up, but not that anyone cared.
Here’s what the research is telling us:
- High-attention ad impressions generate 130% higher conversion and 51% lower cost per action than low-attention ones (IAS × Lumen, 2024).
- A Havas / Lumen meta-study of 9,000 campaigns found that multiple short, attentive experiences build awareness, but sustained attention is what drives consideration, preference, and action.
- The ARF’s 2024 Attention Measurement Validation Initiative confirms that not all “attention metrics” are created equal — creative testing and method validity matter deeply.
Those are not soft ideas. They are proof that attention is a business variable, and it demands we rewire how we build brands.
F.A.B. as the Attention Engine
At Gravity, we don’t believe in chasing vanity metrics. We build attention systems through our F.A.B. framework — Fame (be seen) + Admiration (be felt) + Belief (be trusted).
Together, they create a flywheel that sustains attention long after the initial impression is gone. It’s how brands move from being noticed to being needed. We often think of attention as something to “win” with a big idea or viral moment, but in reality, sustained attention is often built over time through consistency and emotional connection.
Here’s an example of the F.A.B system in action:
- Earn: Provoke curiosity with tension, surprise, and human truths.
- Amplify: Let that spark ripple via owned, earned, paid—all emotionally aligned.
- Refine: Use real attention metrics (attentive seconds, dwell, signal strength) to optimize.
- Sustain: Let cultural resonance, storytelling rhythm, and brand momentum carry you forward.
This is not about one splashy stunt. When done right, each moment builds on the last, creating a brand’s emotional echo over time.
Building for Human Attention
We can’t outsource attention. The next evolution in brand strategy isn’t more personalization or precision. It’s empathy. That means re-centering planning and measurement around human attention, not algorithms.
Marketers should:
- Demand that every creative brief includes a human tension or emotional stake.
- Fuse your attention metrics with business metrics like revenue, repeat behavior, share lift.
- Build internal practices (rituals, team alignment, cross-disciplined dialogues) that treat attention as a shared purpose.
At the end of the day, attention is earned, not bought. If your brand doesn’t win attention, it doesn’t just lose reach; it loses relevance. Clicks and exposure will fade but emotional presence lingers.
A few principles can guide this shift. First, design for desire, not distraction. Great creativity doesn’t interrupt people, rather it rewards them for paying attention. Measure presence, not just performance, by tracking how deeply people engage rather than how many. And always lead with emotion, treating attention as a fundamental human act because every second someone spends with your brand is time they could have spent somewhere else.
The Real KPI
Attention is not a downstream tactic; it’s your strategic North Star. The brands that understand that and treat emotions as a business driver, not an afterthought, will build more than campaigns. They’ll build momentum.
Laura Forester
Director of Strategic Planning
Laura is an award-winning marketer and a certified Human-Centered Design (HCD) strategist with extensive experience leading high-impact campaigns for major brands such as Netflix, Bojangles, and Microsoft. Known for her dynamic approach and magnetic personality, Laura excels in crafting people-first strategies that drive both innovation and meaningful change. Her leadership has been pivotal in winning major accounts, fostering collaborative work cultures, and elevating brands through a blend of creativity and data-driven insights. Laura is also a passionate advocate for recovery from addiction and an active community leader.
