Continuous Partial Attention

On the blog of Linda Stone I have found an interesting article describing new behaviour of young people today called continuous partial attention. I am posting some interesting excerpts of this article:

What is continuous partial attention? Continuous partial attention describes how many of us use our attention today. It is different from multi-tasking. The two are differentiated by the impulse that motivates them. When we multi-task, we are motivated by a desire to be more productive and more efficient. We're often doing things that are automatic, that require very little cognitive processing. We give the same priority to much of what we do when we multi-task -- we file and copy papers, talk on the phone, eat lunch -- we get as many things done at one time as we possibly can in order to make more time for ourselves and in order to be more efficient and more productive.

To pay continuous partial attention is to pay partial attention -- CONTINUOUSLY. It is motivated by a desire to be a LIVE node on the network. Another way of saying this is that we want to connect and be connected. We want to effectively scan for opportunity and optimize for the best opportunities, activities, and contacts, in any given moment. To be busy, to be connected, is to be alive, to be recognized, and to matter.

We pay continuous partial attention in an effort NOT TO MISS ANYTHING. It is an always-on, anywhere, anytime, any place behavior that involves an artificial sense of constant crisis. We are always in high alert when we pay continuous partial attention. This artificial sense of constant crisis is more typical of continuous partial attention than it is of multi-tasking.

Is continuous partial attention a good thing or a bad thing? Like so many things, in small doses, continuous partial attention can be a very functional behavior. However, in large doses, it contributes to a stressful lifestyle, to operating in crisis management mode, and to a compromised ability to reflect, to make decisions, and to think creatively. In a 24/7, always-on world, continuous partial attention used as our dominant attention mode contributes to a feeling of overwhelm, over-stimulation and to a sense of being unfulfilled. We are so accessible, we're inaccessible. The latest, greatest powerful technologies have contributed to our feeling increasingly powerless.

More on the link above.

Consumer priorities in a tough economy

Association of National Advertisers Brand Management Committee discussed the consumer view of purchasing in this economy and which categories are still seeing growth.

What are consumers thinking today?

• "Why do I have to pay more?"
• "I have choices, especially with private label products."
• "I'm delaying my purchase until I have a better sense of economic stability."
• "I'm looking for ways to save money and will consider brands with the most value for my money."
• "I'm making fewer shopping trips, so my trip has to count."
• "I'm carefully considering each of my purchases and doing more research prior to buying."
• "I still want convenience and to save time."
• "I look for special offers and coupons and will sacrifice my preferred brand if necessary."
• "I want my brand/company to know me (e.g. special attention from sales/customer service)."
• "I appreciate being rewarded (e.g. automatic discounts, frequent buyer cards)."
• "I want to be kept up to date on new trends."
• "I want to trust that you will be around and be confident in the product you are selling me (e.g. especially financial services and automotive)."
  

What are consumers buying more of?

• Beer.
• Lottery tickets.
• Comfort food.
• Cosmetics ("a little bag of happy").
• Short-term liquidity (e.g., money markets).
• Household safes.

Does this list sound familiar to you?

People trust consumer product reviews

According Forrester research survey published in one of my earlier post most people (77%) trust an information received in email from someone they know and on the second place (60%) consumer product rating/review. So let´s look at this review thing, as I have found an interesting slide:

Let´s mention at least the two websites using this method BestBuy or Amazon:

And some of them build their business on it as Consumersearch:

or epinions:

Bottom line? When making an TV ad for your company keep in mind, that prospectives will far more believe in what is written on these sites by another users. So use your cretive energy for something else. Article originally published on my Slovak Word-of-mouth blog.

How success is born...artificially

There is a consensus that by 2012 all countries in EU should decrease the number of fatal car accidents on the roads by 50%.

Slovak Republic was one of the lasts to implement new regulations in order to achieve this. We decreased the city speed limit to 50kmh as last but one country in EU, the fines went up significantly, etc.

The new law is valid as of February 1st and couple of days ago the police announced first month results: 60% decrease in accidents y-o-y! Some people say: yes, that is it, finally law and order on the streets! Minority says: ok, ok, that is the initial fear, it will turn a little worser after some time. But almost no one realize (and you can hardly find this in media), that this significant decrease is mostly due to change in statistics: accidents under 3000 euro are not considered as accident anymore and you are not obliged to call the police. The two sides have to arrange it between each other and go with report of accident to the insurance company directly.

So this is it: 60% percent down, significant success! Better don´t ask, how we got there...btw do you know that there are elections in 2 years?

Best global brands 2008

Interbrands published the 2008 Best Global Brands annual report.

From my employee perspective it is good to know that my employer finished at rank #3, valued $59 007 million with quite positive comment: "Despite maintaining its position as one of the world’s biggest brands, Microsoft has had a slightly rocky year. The new operating system, Vista, was poorly received, not least of all by Intel, which refused to install it on its machines due to compatibility issues. The failed takeover of Yahoo! and Bill Gates’ decreasing role piled
further pressure on a brand already struggling to articulate how its offering fits together.
Looking ahead, the company is hoping a diversification from software into the broader
online and entertainment arenas, coupled with a US$300 million advertising campaign
starring Jerry Seinfeld, will breathe new life into the brand and pave the way for a brighter future."

For more brands report comments and news check out the report above.