Why Advertising Needs to Drive Results, Not Impressions
It’s safe to say that within adland, a commonly accepted truth is that everyone is fighting for their slice of the attention pie. Whether it’s two different brands with comparable offerings going head to head, creative and media agencies competing for eyeballs, or even trade publications seeking bigger readership numbers, ultimately, billions of dollars and hours around the globe are being spent to get people’s attention.
In this way, as King Ursa founder and co-CEO Paulo Salomao observes, we have truly turned attention into a resource. However, the nuances of this are something that the industry – both Canadian and at large – sometimes fail to appreciate. After all, in a world where a person can only really focus on one thing at a time, it must be understood that seeing something doesn’t automatically equate to actually paying attention, and even then, that doesn’t equate to successfully-done advertising.
Yet, in a movement which he calls ‘attention delusion disorder’, more and more, it seems that this obsession with impressions is leading people astray. Instead of delivering results with great creative – the point of the job – the hunt for interaction with the assumption it’ll equate to this is taking over. That’s a very dangerous thing, no matter what sector of the industry you’re in.
This is something that the co-CEO spoke in depth about at last year’s The Gathering Summit. And, seeing as the start of a new year is a great time to set new goals, reshape habits and try things differently, it seemed like the perfect time to unpack the topic a little more. For this reason, LBB’s Jordan Won Neufeldt sat down with Paulo for a chat.
LBB> From the top, how was The Gathering? What were the key themes explored?
Paulo> This was my fifth year attending and third time speaking, so I might be biased when I say it keeps on getting better. Founders Ryan Gill and Chris Kneeland are consistent with their vision, size and focus on community, transparency and sharing valuable industry expertise.
Personally, I noticed the key theme of this edition revolved around how established brands are addressing new challenges and challenger brands. Kate Torrance, VP, head of brand for SickKids Foundation – who in my opinion, has the arduous task of continuing its disruption legacy – delivered an inspiring snapshot of its current positioning and the plan for anticipated hurdles. While Sick Kids is a big brand, the field of cause marketing is experiencing philanthropy fatigue. It’s a tougher challenge than ever.
Meanwhile, Tammy Brazier, GoodLife SVP, took the audience on an incredible journey inside its corporate walls, opening up about its purpose-driven efforts and category challenges.
LBB> Notably, you spoke about the growing issue of ‘Attention Delusion Disorder’. Can you explain to readers what this is? Why should the ad industry at large be concerned by it?
Paulo> Whether it's through a misguided belief, complacency or misinformation, companies continue to buy, and creative/media agencies insist on selling ad impressions as genuine audience attention and engagement. To make matters worse, there's a growing overreliance on automation and the pursuit of attention by prioritising efficiency over authenticity at any cost.
I’m not implying that ‘impressions’ is an empty metric by any means. I believe it to be the common denominator among the complexities and polarising points of view surrounding a larger problem. But the main job of advertising should be to deliver or create results, not merely register an impression.
LBB> Specifically, how long has this been something you’ve been tracking? And what’s made it an especially pressing concern for you in recent years?
Paulo> Since my early days working in the industry, especially as a creative director, I've been curious about the impact my work had on the businesses I was working on. Unable to see exactly what I was looking for while working at more traditional creative advertising agencies of the time, I set off to start my journey around 10 years ago as a consultant, which ignited the agency King Ursa is today.
Needless to say, performance has been part of our DNA from the get-go. But with the rapid transformation digital advertising has undergone in recent years, while our ability to measure our efforts grew, we noticed most media companies we had to work with lagged behind when it came to tracking and reporting.
The concern has especially grown in the past three years, where we’ve realised this lack of media landscape development (at speed) is having a significant negative effect on business’ bottom lines. To make matters worse, the increasing sophistication of fraud, and the rise of manipulative ‘attention hacking’ techniques amplified the waste of clients' dollars.
LBB> Notably, you’ve expressed that it’s delusional to think that one can merely pay for attention. In your opinion, what’s led people to thinking this way? And what can marketers do to address this issue?
Paulo> We've always been in the business of getting people's attention. But I believe web2 marked the beginning of the revolution we're experiencing today. Once the influence, source and power of information shifted, advertising failed to catch up, creating inefficiencies in processes and results, leading to an increased need for quick results.
Marketers must reassess their go-to-market plans to include long-term strategies. They must identify and include meaningful interactions, valuable content, and long-term relationship-building to counter this. The industry can achieve more impactful and sustainable outcomes by recognising that attention is earned, not bought.
LBB> Building on this, what is the right way to navigate this world of attention economy? If the resource is limited, is there room for everyone to safely and economically secure a piece of this pie?
Paulo> I believe that behind every business that holds a competitive and successful product or service is a strong foundation built on a real purpose for its existence. Aligning to that purpose is the first step towards providing real value to people it wants to connect with.
As the fight for people's attention continues to intensify, companies that successfully bring real value to people's lives in an authentic way will continue to secure their piece of the pie.
But that's where we hit a crucial point: companies can't fake authenticity, and neither can they afford to stay silent. And because of that, they are increasingly reliant on creative advertising. Professionals are able to combine communication expertise, human truths and intuition to connect with people in effective and sustainable ways.
LBB> Do you think we’ll ever return to attention not being a valuable commodity? If not, what should creatives be prepared for in the years to come?
Paulo> Until humanity reaches a utopian, altruistic level, brands will continue to rely on attention to sell products or services, and people will continue to be influenced by trends that lead to consumption – satisfying basic and psychological needs. So, attention will most likely remain a valuable commodity in our increasingly connected world.
If consumption is directly correlated to our basic human instincts, one can reason that the motivations are heavily influenced by emotional triggers. Therefore, we must rely on creativity and storytelling to evoke those emotions. To quote one of my favourite thinkers, Yuval Noah Harari, “Humans think in stories rather than in facts, numbers, or equations”.
With that thinking at the core, I believe creatives must embrace new technologies to improve their understanding of the biochemical mechanisms of human emotions, desires, and choices. But most of all, we must access the vast, available data to better analyse human behaviour, and predict human decisions while adopting AI tools to expedite the creative process among other things.
LBB> You also pointed out that many agencies as a whole aren’t prepared for this shift. What can leadership teams do to quickly get equipped for this reality?
Paulo> My recommendation is to put their guards down and come together to recognise that they depend on each other more than ever to provide a competitive service to their clients.
The handoff between media and creative agencies continues to exist, and that is the number one indication of the unpreparedness I am referring to.
I don't think you need to provide both services to be qualified to deliver what is needed today, but I think it's harder to integrate two separate businesses (media and creative) with different systems, beliefs, goals and expertise. Leaders must put their egos aside and foster a culture of learning and adaptation. Creative without smart media placement is lifeless, and media without great creative is empty.
In short, both disciplines must recognise they are flying the same plane with one destination.
LBB> In your presentation, you also mentioned that it’s important to ask more of one’s media and creative partners right away. What should people be asking for? What does this look like when done right?
Paulo> First and foremost, demand full transparency in the relationship. One must be made aware of weaknesses and strengths (which go both ways) for an honest and trusting partnership.
You should also aim to see a clear plan for creative and media team integration – one that fosters synergy and collaboration, regardless of whether they are at the same agency or not.
Finally, one should ask for consideration of all marketing and communication efforts, in order to successfully exercise connections planning. Ultimately, it's about demanding accountability to ensure marketing investments translate into meaningful outcomes, and not just empty impressions.
LBB> With all this in mind, what is King Ursa doing to navigate this terrain?
Paulo> One of my most admired mentors, Arthur Fleischmann, reminded me once that independent businesses tend to carry their founder's personality.
I believe King Ursa carries an extremely high level of curiosity, adaptability and love for the craft. Since my early days in advertising, I have always felt the weight of the tasks entrusted to us by clients, and because of that, the team shares the heavy responsibility of making the absolute best out of the partnerships we form with them.
LBB> Tell us more about the journey here over the past three years. What have been the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Paulo> The past three years have been most transformative for myself and our agency. They were my first years as a CEO, and charged with post-pandemic and global economic turmoils. These were times that tested my eternal optimistic personality and fuelled my competitive nature!
One of the biggest lessons I've learned was that being too ahead of the curve is not a good thing. We developed a product (patent pending) two years ago that only now we're seeing the adoption of, because we were too early with our integrated media/creative/performance approach for the Canadian market.
LBB> Seeing as you’ve been working in the Canadian industry for quite some time, do you believe this problem affects the country differently from the rest of the world?
Paulo> Canada's unique media landscape presents specific challenges and opportunities for sure. Our smaller market size and reliance on a few dominant players can amplify the risks of overreliance on programmatic and limited inventory. However, this also fosters a tighter-knit industry with greater collaboration and innovation potential.
LBB> Finally, with regards to the matter, what do you expect to see of both the Canadian and global ad scenes through 2025? Are net improvements across the board a reasonable expectation?
Paulo> I’m close with the Institute of Canadian Agencies (ICA), and I believe Scott Knox, Leah Power and the team have the experience, mindset and vision to drive the awareness Canada deserves in the global market.
Widespread change takes time, and unfortunately for large agency corporations, innovation seems to be an impossible task. A testament to that is how conglomerates continue to resort to mergers and acquisitions (e.g. Omnicom acquiring Interpublic Group) in hopes of achieving it.
I am betting on the need for mid-size integrated agencies, where creative and media, under the same roof and guided by the same principles, work organically and intuitively while adopting new processes and tools for automation (when needed) in order to meet client demands. I also anticipate a gradual increase in scrutiny of ad fraud and manipulative practices, likely driving demand for more ethical and sustainable approaches.
