“Re-Attention:” The Challenge of Getting Attention Again Once You've Lost It

Getting attention is hard enough.

Getting “re-attention” may even be harder.

Maintaining attention infers that attention is ongoing.

“Re-attention” however suggests that there’s been a break in the level of interest, and that the reasons for this disconnect have to be identified and then reconciled before a relationship can be reestablished.

There can be positive reasons why attention gets lost (a new product attribute grabs attention from an old attribute for example), however it’s easier to conceive of negative ones including consumer ennui, declining value/performance/relevance, complexity, shiny new objects, a product failure, or at some point a negative consumer-developed disposition that isn’t addressed.

Here are some thinking points on attention (or lack of it):

• What are your listeners passionate about and what are they oblivious to, and how does that fit with your station vision?
• What aspects of the station, if they had heightened attention, could increase listening?  
• If attention has been lost or not developed to the desired level, what are the potential reasons and remedies: a personal enthusiastic appeal, initiating a relevant conversation, creating a “second first impression,” promoting a new found benefit/feature that creates an improved end-user experience, using credible testimonials, providing new information that will result in reconsidering a negative predisposition, or...?
• How is attention best maintained once it’s been reestablished?
• How long is “long enough” to see results?
• Is the “gain worth the pain” to get attention back for this particular issue? Sometimes the answer may be “no.”

Jump into the process by thinking about what does and doesn’t get your attention when you listen to your station or a competitor.

Thoughts from the Great Guerrilla Marketer

I don’t remember when I first read something Jay Conrad Levinson wrote.

I do remember though that it made me a fan.

Having read Seth Godin’s blog last night that Jay – a former VP and Creative Director at the J. Walter Thompson and Leo Burnett advertising agencies - had passed away, I went to the office and pulled out my copy of Jay’s 1990 book “Guerrilla Marketing Weapons.” 

As with any 20+ year old business book, some parts have weathered better than others. Still, the idea of being a guerrilla as well as many of Jay's specific thoughts and observations are as relevant today as ever. 

• You yourself as your company’s ‘packaging’
• The believability of non-generic testimonials
• That being competitive is a non-stop job
• Customer expectations must be understood and managed before they can be met and exceeded
• The value of walk-by/drive-by traffic
• High touch as a "safeguard" against consumer apathy
• The relationship of success to ‘deep and healthy’ community involvement

While “Guerrilla Marketing Weapons” wasn’t written about radio, it's easy to see the applications.

You can read more of Jay’s writing here.