138: [BEST OF] Professor Karen Nelson-Field schools us on all things attention.

Apr 19, 2024

Professor Karen Nelson-Field, founder and CEO of Amplified Intelligence, is a leading voice in media measurement known for her research on attention. She chats about the evolution of attention spans, debunking myths around Facebook likes and engagement. Listeners are in for a treat as she explains how to effectively measure attention and its critical role in advertising performance. With a sprinkle of humor, Karen shares the challenges of modern media and the importance of understanding attention quality amidst the noise of digital marketing.

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Intro

00:00 • 3min

Career Journeys in Advertising

03:04 • 10min

Navigating Brand Dynamics Through Analytical Insight

13:13 • 2min

Navigating the Attention Economy

15:17 • 11min

The Intricacies of Attention in the Modern Media Landscape

26:15 • 3min

Navigating Media Attention Metrics

29:31 • 12min

Reflections on Reading and Community Engagement

41:53 • 2min

That Will Never Work

The Birth of Netflix and the Amazing Life of an Idea

Marc Randolph

This book tells the untold story of Netflix's origins, from its inception in 1997 to its initial public offering and beyond. Marc Randolph recounts the challenges, failures, and successes of building a disruptive startup, including pitching his idea to his business partner Reed Hastings, dealing with server crashes on launch day, and the infamous meeting with Blockbuster. The book offers insights into entrepreneurship, covering topics such as idea generation, team building, and handling success and failure.

The Attention Economy and How Media Works

Karen Nelson-Field

Karen Nelson-Field's "The Attention Economy and How Media Works" provides a comprehensive analysis of how attention drives media effectiveness. The book explores the evolving landscape of media consumption and the implications for marketers. Nelson-Field challenges traditional metrics and emphasizes the importance of measuring actual human attention rather than relying on proxy measures like impressions or views. She presents a framework for understanding how attention translates into business outcomes, offering practical strategies for optimizing media plans and maximizing ROI. The book is a valuable resource for marketers seeking to navigate the complexities of the attention economy and improve their campaign performance.

Viral Marketing

The Science of Sharing

Karen Nelson-Field

Karen Nelson-Field's "Viral Marketing: The Science of Sharing" delves into the mechanics of content diffusion, challenging common misconceptions about virality. The book reveals that successful viral marketing isn't about spontaneous explosions of popularity but rather a strategic process of seeding and organic growth. Nelson-Field's research debunks the myth that simply creating attention-grabbing content guarantees widespread sharing. Instead, she emphasizes the importance of understanding audience behavior and leveraging network effects to achieve significant reach. The book provides a data-driven framework for marketers to plan and execute effective viral campaigns, moving beyond simplistic notions of virality and focusing on measurable results. It offers valuable insights into how to build momentum and achieve sustainable growth in the digital landscape.

Play Bigger

Pirates, Dreamers, and the Power of Decisive Action

Christopher Lochhead

Play Bigger, co-authored by Christopher Lochhead and several others, provides a framework for businesses to dominate their markets by creating new categories. The book emphasizes the importance of defining a unique market space, crafting a compelling narrative, and building a strong brand identity. It offers practical strategies for businesses to differentiate themselves from competitors and establish themselves as category leaders. The book's insights on category design, brand building, and market leadership have made it a valuable resource for entrepreneurs and business leaders. Its practical advice and real-world examples make it accessible and applicable to a wide range of businesses.

It’s been 5 years since Call to Action® captured our first of what’s now over 130 heroes and allies from the industry front lines to have a chin-wag with. To celebrate, we’re rereleasing a choice cut of our favourite episodes as part of a ‘Best Of’ series.

In February 2022, we stuck a fake shark fin on our back and lurked in the waters off Adelaide to catch the attention of one of the industry’s most respected researchers; Prof. Karen Nelson-Field.

Hell-bent on fighting the broken media ecosystem as founder and CEO at Amplified Intelligence, Karen is also an author and alumni of the world-renowned Ehrenberg-Bass Institute. When she’s not binge-watching Home & Away (yes, she’s still a fan), Karen’s research into the measurement of attention has made her a global authority on media effectiveness.

Point your ears this way as Karen talks on her 10 years at Ehrenberg-Bass, skateboarding cats, myth-busting Facebook likes, going viral, why attention is an important metric, how to measure it and more. And strap in as Karen finally answers the red-hot question of whether our attention spans really are becoming shorter than a goldfi-

Oh, look, some links…

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Follow Karen on LinkedIn
And on Twitter
Here’s her website
And, Karen kindly dedicates this episode to the bullshit-detecting bulldog himself, Bob Hoffman

Grab yourself her books:
Viral Marketing: The Science of Sharing
The Attention Economy and How Media Works

Timestamps
(01:50) - Quick fire questions
(03:15) - First jobs and early fascination with advertising
(08:40) - What she learnt about media from cinema
(14:00) - Her time at Ehrenberg-Bass
(15:45) - Myth-busting Facebook likes
(19:15) - A deep dive into the attention economy
(25:30) - Are our attention spans really getting shorter?
(30:00) - Single piece of advice to marketers to better understand attention
(34:30) - Listener questions
(38:15) - 4 pertinent posers

Karen’s book recommendations are:
Play Bigger by Al Ramadan, Dave Peterson, Christopher Lochhead & Kevin Maney
That Will Never Work by Marc Randolph

Feel better about marketing with Episode 81 of Call to Action® with Professor Karen Nelson-Field.

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