Mastering the attention economy: Climate Edition
By Katie Boyle, Account Director
As communicators, we are often tasked with helping brands to ‘cut through the noise’, create ‘thumb-stopping’ content, and engage audiences on a myriad of topics across multiple channels in keeping with ever-changing trends. Add to this the ability for anyone with a smartphone to publish their own content in real-time from basically anywhere in the world, and it is no surprise that the volume of communication being broadcasted globally has increased exponentially.
As a result, it is becoming more challenging to effectively engage audiences and secure meaningful coverage on a desired platform in a way that is not fleeting in nature. Amidst this sea of information, is the real issue in attracting, and holding, people’s ever-divided attention?
Believe it or not, the term ‘attention economy’ has been around for over fifty years, when Psychologist and Economist Herbert A. Simon first wrote about the link between information overload and attention scarcity among people. Considering the gargantuan technological and communicative developments that have happened in the intervening decades, it has never been more important to scrutinise how “a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention”.
Thinking of this real obstacle we face; how do we continue to reach and engage target demographics with more complex narratives and stories? Particularly when terms such as ‘brain rot’ have more than 179 million related posts on Tik Tok, which as described in the New York Times refers to the brain fog experienced by users after extended screen time. For instance, climate-related stories can often result in people turning off to the issue for a multitude of reasons including finding it too overwhelming, negative, intangible, complicated or too technical.
With this in mind, here are six tips to mastering the attention economy and engaging audiences on climate related topics
Look at available resources: Take stock from those helping to shine a light on the path forward. London agency Radley Yeldar’s ‘Words That Work’ is an essential reference point even some years after its publication, it identifies effective and ineffective terminology to help messaging hit the right note. Futerra’s recent guide ‘Stories to save the world’ explores the most compelling narratives and story arcs to reference in climate communications that help to engage audiences and inspire action in a positive way.
Remove the excess: While a company or brand may want to shout about all the measures that they have taken to reduce carbon emissions, perhaps disappointingly, no one will be quite as enthusiastic about this information as the owners or shareholders of the company. Distill key information and deliver this in a way that directly affects target audiences to show value and relevance. This could look like ‘every time you purchase with us it results in X% less emissions than our previous packaging; we donate x% to causes and in the last 6 months of sales it has meant we have been able to do x, y and z to support our local community.’ It is about selecting the strongest points and tweaking this message to be of most interest to the intended recipient.
Be mindful of disinformation and misinformation: While digital media and social platforms contribute to the information overload that we experience daily, it is also a central source of news and information for most of the global population. However, compared with traditional media, digital sites can encourage emotional responses to news coverage and can often have language that can elicit a strong reaction such as fury, sadness, happiness. If the publisher of the content is not a reputable source of information, it can be an effective tool to spread misinformation and disinformation. While this can look like fearmongering and false narratives, it can also be more subtle, such as downplaying the role that citizens can have in affecting change. Consider how best to deliver key messages depending on the context and cite verified sources.
Put the audience in the centre: While it can be tempting to lead with an organisational message, this is not going to draw someone in. Look for the ‘magic slice’, the meeting point between what the audience is looking for, and what you can offer on a specific point. From there add further messaging and detail to provide more of the narrative and additional context. Depending on the demographic, this will be different every time and it is important to adjust messaging accordingly.
Choose the right channel: Adapt the message to the intended audience, and most importantly, the channel. There is a reason why Substack has exploded in popularity in recent times. There are audiences that are craving less-stimulating platforms that allow for longer-form pieces of content. For visual-led platforms, use these as a shop window to synopsise content or pique interest and include a call-to-action to find out more via a Youtube/Vimeo content series for visual storytelling, or longer-form written content on a website or other publishing platform. If you are unsure what channel to use, it’s time to reflect on the audiences you are trying to reach and zoning in on where they are most likely to be spending time.
Remember, we have the solutions: We know that scientists have for decades been aware of and are working to mitigate the effects of the climate crisis and while we are not where we need to be, there are solutions available. We need to support and work with these parties to enact change on a global, state and citizen-level. Broadcaster and Biologist David Attenborough has previously identified that the climate crisis “is now a communications challenge” and what better group to disseminate complex information into digestible, hopeful and realistic messages that inspire action?
As Data Scientist and Climate Author Hannah Ritchie said, “To tackle climate change, we have to accept two things: climate change is happening and human emissions of greenhouse gases are responsible… The time for debating is over. We need to move past it to the question of what we’re going to do about it.”
It’s time to turn the ‘endless scroll’ from a tool of potential doom into an instrument for climate action.
If you enjoyed these insights, check out the following Climate Hub articles from the &Smyth team: