University of Minnesota - UMN Executive Leadership Insights
Paid Attention
Book

Paid Attention

Innovative Advertising for a Digital World

Faris Yakob
Kogan Page, 2015
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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Innovative
  • Applicable

Recommendation

Speaking from the knowledgeable perspective of an industry insider, ad agency innovator Faris Yakob addresses how the digital age radically transforms advertising. He considers the historical purpose and drive behind advertising, and provides contemporary case studies with practical analyses of how companies can navigate multimedia platforms and changing consumer relationships. He details how agencies must change to remain relevant. Agencies can outsource advertisement production and media placement, so those skills are no longer necessary core competencies, but creativity is. Therefore, advertising professionals have an advantage over other business consultants, because advertising has always found creative solutions to business problems. The toolkits in the final section of Yakob’s manual provide specific steps for shaking up your marketing and strategic thinking. getAbstract recommends this forward-looking guide to agency planners, marketing strategists, advertising executives and corporate ad buyers.

Summary

How the Attention Economy Developed

Early media entrepreneurs initially developed radio stations to help sell radios. The content of radio was advertising, in that manufacturers sponsored radio and, later, TV shows. Then came interruptive, spot advertising in the form of 30-second “sponsorships.” Then as now, when technology changes, so does advertising. Today’s digital technology allows consumers to save shows with Tivo, skip ads, and produce independent content and post it for free on the Internet. A media environment once defined by scarce outlets now drowns in abundance. Media options inundate consumers. Today’s most valuable resource is attention. Advertising is the business of capturing and selling that attention.

Advertising as a Communication Tool

As a persuasive communication tool, advertising aims to influence opinion and purchasing behavior by buying and dominating media time and attention – but no brand has the resources to dominate the 24/7 media cycle with its message. And, now, a brand’s communication with its consumers must provide value that respects the time a customer spends listening to the message. Brands must provide entertainment, experiences...

About the Author

A former chief technology strategist at McCann Erickson, Faris Yakob founded the agency Genius Steals and writes for Forbes, Advertising Age, Financial Times and Media Week.

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