We Are Moving From the Attention Economy to the Authenticity Economy

Generative AI tools are here to stay, but as use of them grows, companies risk looking the same as everyone else. We see this now in Google Search Ads with their push to let Google automate more ad creation. The automated creative approach to PPC ads makes the ads all feel the same.

In the heat of battle and pressure to meet goals, it will always be easier for marketing managers and creatives to use “the right creative,” especially at a lower cost to produce it. So, how are you going to stand out while working in that reality?

From the Attention Economy to the Authenticity Economy

How to Stand Out in the Coming Wave of Sameness

Producing content for the web has always been a balancing act between getting it right (i.e., being accurate) and standing out. If you’re putting out wrong, bad, or inauthentic material, it will backfire. On the other hand, if you’re merely recycling the same information that someone can find elsewhere (such as from your competitors), your message will struggle to get through.

So, how can you be the most right and the most unique most of the time? It might help to think of a well-known symbol: the barber’s pole.

The barber’s pole goes back to the Middle Ages and became a symbol for getting a haircut that is recognized all over the world. It symbolized the pole patients grasped while receiving bloodletting and tooth extractions. What’s unique about this symbol is how it has held on to a very specific format: a spinning pole with a helix of red and white, and sometimes blue stripes. As well-known as this symbol is, it's an odd thing to represent getting a haircut, and it stands out from normal 2-D signage. Long story short: the barber pole works because it is unique, not because it’s “accurate.” Put another way, the barber pole speaks to something authentic, and it stands out as a result.

Being the Barber Pole in a 2-D Signage World

Every brand, whether personal or corporate, craves attention. Now, since everyone is vying for everyone else’s attention, very little breaks through. You can produce as much content as you want, but if it’s not authentic (remember the barber pole), it won’t overcome an oversaturated market.

Your content must speak to your unique brand, which means you can’t simply rely on your AI tool of choice and check out. AI tools will help you at every step, but the human touch needs to be embedded in the process, perhaps more now than ever before.

Here’s how to avoid the sameness trap.

1. Train your team on your brand. Depending on your size, you may not have a strongly defined brand. Whether you are providing services or selling products, you have competition. You and your marketing team should be able to state your unique selling position and your differentiators. If your marketing is not pushing these messages in your creative, something is missing.

2. Support your brand with your website content. It’s common to have a conversation around branding for creating a brand guide or internal document, and not to apply it to your website. For example, if your company is known for being community-oriented and giving back, how would anyone viewing your home page know? Is it support content on the about page, and easily missed, or are you telling a compelling story on your home page with a video about a recent community team project? You get the idea.

3. Develop a brand themes calendar. You don’t have to say everything everywhere all the time. Most marketing is delivered over time with multiple impressions of messages to an audience. We help clients focus their messages on themes that are often revisited quarterly, allowing them to build a brand story over time. This also aligns with rotating offers to follow the seasons (where that’s a factor). Most companies have messages to emphasize at different times of the year. Those messages can be delivered with brand story elements included. For example, if you are doing med spa marketing, you likely have a marketing campaign built around getting ready for summer. Well, what does your brand have to say about getting ready for summer? It could be that you work hard for referrals and have great customer service as a differentiator—so, offers to bring a friend, or “buy one, gift one” deals can help you use your strengths to put offers out there that align with your brand.

4. Remember what makes rich media rich. A client of ours in a major metro area grew to cover their region. Along the way, they wanted to show they are the experts in their skilled commercial trades service set. So, they went big on producing video content to tell stories about problems they solved. This tactic was a hit and quickly earned an audience of hundreds of subscribers and followers. Every piece they produce sets in stone for their prospects that they are problem solvers. That’s great branding. Rich media is rich with meaning when done well.

5. Be yourself first. The pressure to just post the dollar-based offer in a sea of the same is strong—it’s the promise of getting it right on the first try. But to connect in those environments, the unique perspectives and identities will have more appeal. Remember: When everyone is special, no one is special. Build a company culture that expresses your brand in the world, and live it. Live your brand.

Attention Gives Way to Authenticity

The ability to reach an audience is not the only bottleneck in marketing now. Authenticity will be a requirement to cut through the bland wall of sameness. Being unique and having a unique message is a requirement going forward. Anything short of that will yield underwhelming results.

Need help? We are here. Let’s talk marketing. Call or grab time with us today through our Google Business Profile. We love talking about marketing problems and offering solutions. We can promise you that you will come away with ideas for how to achieve your goals.