The Attention Merchants

Attention has been commodified into the most valuable currency of the modern age – what we choose to look at now defines entire industries.

1. The Evolution of Ads: From Information to Persuasion

Advertising had humble beginnings in the 18th century when it was purely informational. Newspapers listed ads resembling modern classifieds, providing facts rather than persuasion. Their purpose was functional – notify, not influence.

However, in 1833, Benjamin Day's New York Sun drastically shifted the landscape. By charging just a penny per copy, Day’s paper needed another revenue source. He introduced ads designed to reach broader audiences, monetizing attention. This strategy not only offset costs but revolutionized newspapers into attention-reselling platforms.

Day’s success showed advertising's potential to earn massive profits. His strategy propelled the growth of his paper, which became a top publication in New York City. This marked the shift of newspapers into dual entities: news deliverers and business enterprises.

Examples

• Early newspapers as simple classifieds with lost and found notices.
• The New York Sun's affordable pricing model paired with ads.
• Day's paper leading the trend of blending news with revenue generation.

2. Advertising's Fraudulent Yet Profitable Past

The early 20th century saw advertising harnessed for dubious purposes like promoting ineffective patent medicines. Claude C. Hopkins, a notable adman, pioneered strategies like free samples and spam mail to lure customers into buying "cure-all" products.

Liquozone, one such medicine, falsely claimed to heal everything from coughs to cancer. The aggressive and creative techniques Hopkins applied made it exceedingly profitable, even as customers later realized the products' ineffectiveness. The attention captured led to soaring revenues.

Beyond products, advertising played a role in mobilizing attention for national causes. Britain’s large-scale propaganda campaigns during World War I successfully recruited millions into the army, showcasing ads’ utility in mass influence.

Examples

• Liquozone profiting massively despite its ineffectiveness.
• Free samples and spam mail, now ubiquitous, as 20th-century ad innovations.
• British World War I posters persuading 2.75 million recruits.

3. Scientific Advertising in the 1920s: Solving Problems You Didn’t Know You Had

Advertising shifted gears in the 1920s to become a calculated, "scientific" pursuit. This meant crafting demand by engineering problems, often invented ones, and presenting products as the solutions.

Demand engineering proved highly effective with campaigns like Listerine's. By introducing "halitosis" (bad breath), Listerine convinced customers they had a problem and needed their product, exploding the brand’s sales figures.

Branding also flourished in this era. Advertisers realized creating a reputation didn’t require years of trust and loyalty but instead smart messaging. Cadillac styled itself as a leader with campaigns implying their luxury stood above envy and competition.

Examples

• Listerine's "halitosis" campaign making bad breath a treatable issue.
• “The Penalty of Leadership” campaign elevating Cadillac’s prestige.
• The term "scientific advertising" emphasizing precise tactics over random creativity.

4. First the Radio, Then the TV: Media That Revolutionized Attention

As radio technology matured in the 1920s, it brought advertising directly into people’s homes. Programs were sponsored by brands, creating a connection between entertainment and the products funding it. This proved highly engaging, exemplified by Pepsodent toothpaste’s association with the popular Amos ‘n’ Andy radio serial.

Television built upon radio’s success. By the 1950s, TVs in American homes made broadcasts irresistible attention magnets, with average viewers glued for hours daily. TV ads captivated and entertained more vividly than radio or print ever could.

Examples

• Pepsodent leveraging Amos ‘n’ Andy to regain market dominance.
• The meteoric growth of TV ownership — 9% to 72% from 1950 to 1956.
• Viewers spending five hours daily watching TV by the end of the '50s.

5. The Internet Connects But Email Addicts Us

When the internet emerged, it was primarily a tool for research institutions. But the advent of email in 1971 changed everything. Email offered instant communication, quickly converting most internet activity into messaging.

Email tapped into behavioral psychology by providing constant rewards – every nice message felt like a treat, compelling users to check obsessively. Advertisers capitalized on this dynamic by bombarding inboxes with promotions, using operant conditioning to ensure engagement.

Examples

• The physical network connecting universities before email’s breakthrough.
• Ray Tomlinson’s invention making communication instantaneous.
• Scientific experiments showing email as a dopamine-releasing "reward."

6. Google and the Rise of Intent-Based Ads

The internet grew, but its early chaos demanded organization. Google emerged in the late 1990s as an efficient tool to help users find relevant information, leveraging algorithms to surpass competitors like Yahoo! and AltaVista.

To monetize its vast traffic effectively, Google developed Adwords, a groundbreaking ad system presenting only relevant ads based on user searches. This model prioritized user experience while maintaining advertisers’ interest, avoiding the traditional bombardment of irrelevant promotions.

Examples

• Google’s sleek design and powerful search algorithm at its launch.
• Competitors overwhelmed by cluttered interfaces and irrelevant results.
• Adwords offering targeted promotions tied to user intent.

7. Social Media: A New Breed of Addictive Attention Grabbers

Social media platforms brought advertising to a personalization level unlike ever before. Using algorithms and detailed user data, platforms like Facebook served hyper-relevant ads. These platforms didn’t just harvest attention; they actively created it through addictive content loops.

Dopamine release from likes, comments, and shares kept users on platforms longer, increasing time exposed to advertising. Social media amplified emotional engagement, making it a dominant advertising hub.

Examples

• Algorithms analyzing user data to fine-tune ads.
• Social media’s focus on dopamine-driven user satisfaction.
• Time spent on platforms skyrocketing thanks to passive scrolling.

8. The Unique Pull of Celebrities

Celebrities have long held a magnetic grip on our attention, reinforcing the celebrity-industrial complex. Publications like People magazine capitalized on universal recognition of stars, rapidly becoming powerhouses.

There’s no solid explanation for why celebrities hold such sway, though some researchers liken it to forms of worship. Celebrities let us glimpse the extraordinary, fulfilling human fascination with fame and idealization.

Examples

• The incredible market dominance of People magazine.
• Greta Garbo’s capture of audiences noted in academic research.
• Valentino’s death and the emotional devastation it caused among fans.

9. Advertising’s Constant Change: Where Next?

What we pay attention to fuels industries that shape our culture and habits. Over centuries, strategies evolved from print and TV to email, search engines, and social media. The common thread remains: attention is power.

Advertisers continue adapting as technology advances, keeping their focus on finding new ways to capture and redirect human focus. Innovation persists, as attention becomes commodified more than ever.

Examples

• The evolution from penny newspapers to today's email spam.
• Transition from passive TV watching to active internet searching.
• Modern algorithms revolutionizing ad targeting.

Takeaways

1. Be conscious of your attention economy; businesses profit from your focus. Choose what you engage with intentionally.
2. Recognize the psychological tactics in advertising (problem creation, dopamine loops) to avoid manipulation.
3. Limit exposure to platforms like social media when possible to reduce susceptibility to algorithmic attention traps.