seven seconds

match

Ah, attention! No one has enough of it and brands are fighting for customers’ poor excuse for an attention span. An average of 7 seconds is what the science says. But we dare refute that science, because what about all those kids gaming for hours straight? Quite the focus. How does this lack of attention play in the sports world? Apparently, sports fans these days just skip the game and go straight for the highlights. That’s like tossing the sandwich aside and only munching on the sausage. If that is the case, how can you adapt to this change? How can you keep people entertained, even during downtime? Our 5 cents? Make it interactive and transform the viewers themselves into players. Then they'll play.

As is

Who has the time and stamina to watch somebody ride 250 kilometres on a bike? Well, the same people who find the time and stamina to scroll through their feeds for an average of two hours per day. It's not about the content, it's about the packaging. Whoever says the young ones can’t focus should watch them play Call of Duty. However, there is some truth to be found in the difference between holding a controller and a remote control. One lets you enter the game, be part of the storyline and engage. The other just tells you to sit still, watch and listen. We don’t know about you, but we were never good at that.

Could be

The key to attention is the key to success for brands. Welcome to the attention economy, one in which consumers are more and more aware of their time being a commodity. Just like with their money, they’ve become pickier about how to spend it. That’s basically good news, as it means quality is getting a raise. Giving the sports an upgrade is an option, but it might be hard to sell to the fans. A better way is to reboot the reporting. Turn it into storytelling, so that watching a game feels like actually playing it. What about the press conference after the game? No problem, you can have it. Just make sure everyone’s invited.