Ustby, Donarski lead No. 16 North Carolina women over Villanova 53-36 in Battle 4 Atlantis semifinalBy Alex Nigmatulin , co-founder and CMO of PRNEWS.IO As we move into 2025 , businesses of all sizes — from emerging startups to established industry leaders — face the challenge of capturing and maintaining consumer attention in an era of endless distractions. With the attention economy reshaping how we interact and consume, brands must rethink their strategies, shifting from simply reaching audiences to deeply engaging with them. Here’s a look at what will shape marketing success in the coming year, backed by the latest research and emerging trends. In a digital landscape saturated with ads, attention has emerged as the ultimate currency. Traditional metrics, such as clicks and impressions, no longer provide an accurate picture of campaign success. Research from Amplified Intelligence reveals that around 85% of online ads don’t pass the 2.5-second attention -memory threshold — the critical point at which a brand starts to embed itself in a person’s memory. This inefficiency results in a significant portion of advertising budgets being wasted on low-quality impressions. The importance of attention is further emphasized by Dentsu’s Attention Economy study, which demonstrates that even a modest 5% increase in attention can lead to a 40% boost in in-market ad awareness. Together, these insights emphasise a vital trend for marketers: the need to create content that doesn’t just reach audiences but actively captivates and sustains their engagement. The role of AI in marketing will expand in 2025 , driving personalization and optimizing creative strategies based on real-time attention data. However, as Meltwater’s 2025 Marketing Trends report highlights, success won’t rely solely on advanced technology. Instead, the emphasis will be on fostering quality interactions between brands and consumers , ensuring that every engagement delivers measurable impact. Internally, this focus on quality will extend to the relationships brands cultivate with in-house teams and agency partners, as fragmented attention spans demand innovative and cohesive collaboration. Native ad formats are uniquely positioned to thrive in the attention economy . Research from Teads & Lumen demonstrates a direct correlation between attention and brand outcomes, with longer engagement durations consistently improving metrics across the marketing funnel. Their research shows that at least 9 seconds of attention are needed to impact brand consideration and 8 seconds to influence purchase intent. These numbers indicate the need to prioritize attention to drive meaningful lower-funnel outcomes. To capitalize on these insights , brands should prioritize ad placements on platforms that demonstrate high attention benchmarks, investing in immersive formats that deliver prolonged engagement. Interactive videos, branded content and advertorials, for instance, offer extended exposure and more meaningful engagement, aligning perfectly with attention -based strategies. PRNEWS.IO ’s forthcoming study reinforces this trend, reporting that in 2024 alone, over 30,000 native ad articles were placed across more than 10,000 news websites worldwide through their platform — a 30% increase compared to the previous year. This surge mirrors the broader industry growth, with AdYouLike projecting the global native advertising market will reach $400 billion by 2025 — a staggering 372% increase from 2020. These findings highlight the growing preference for non-intrusive, value-driven campaigns designed to capture and sustain consumer attention . For the B2B sector, where buying cycles are increasingly lengthy, this strategy is particularly critical. Research such as Amplified Intelligence’s findings on the importance of attention thresholds underscores the need for content that captures attention and retains it for meaningful engagement. Tools like webinars, detailed articles and educational videos are becoming essential for B2B marketers to keep potential clients engaged, nurture long-term brand recall and sustain their presence throughout extended sales funnels. Attention isn’t guaranteed — it’s earned. Research from Kantar’s Media Reactions 2024 shows a notable decline in ad engagement on social platforms , with only 31% of people globally saying social media ads capture their attention , down from 43% the previous year. These findings challenge brands to go beyond platform optimization and invest in creative storytelling that breaks through the noise. The battle for attention will only intensify as consumers grow more selective in their interactions with brands. Success in 2025 will depend on creating campaigns that capture initial interest and sustain it long enough to foster meaningful connections. By leveraging the insights from the studies presented in this piece, marketers can navigate the challenges and develop campaigns that resonate deeply, ensuring success in the attention economy . – Top image: Danielle Coimbra Keep on top of the most important media, marketing, and agency news each day with the Mediaweek Morning Report – delivered for free every morning to your inbox.

He is not yet in power but President-elect Donald Trump rattled much of the world with an off-hours warning of stiff tariffs on close allies and China -- a loud hint that Trump-style government by social media post is coming back. With word of these levies against goods imported from Mexico, Canada and China, Trump sent auto industry stocks plummeting, raised fears for global supply chains and unnerved the world's major economies. For Washington-watchers with memories of the Republican's first term, the impromptu policy volley on Monday evening foreshadowed a second term of startling announcements of all manner, fired off at all hours of the day from his smartphone. "Donald Trump is never going to change much of anything," said Larry Sabato, a leading US political scientist and director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics. "You can expect in the second term pretty much what he showed us about himself and his methods in the first term. Social media announcements of policy, hirings and firings will continue." The first of Trump's tariff announcements -- a 25 percent levy on everything coming in from Mexico and Canada -- came amid an angry rebuke of lax border security at 6:45 pm on Truth Social, Trump's own platform. The United States is bound by agreements on the movement of goods and services brokered by Trump in a free trade treaty with both nations during his first term. But Trump warned that the new levy would "remain in effect until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country" -- sowing panic from Ottawa to Mexico City. Seconds later, another message from the incoming commander-in-chief turned the focus on Chinese imports, which he said would be hit with "an additional 10% Tariff, above any additional Tariffs." The consequences were immediate. Almost every major US automaker operates plants in Mexico, and shares in General Motors and Stellantis -- which produce pickup trucks in America's southern neighbor -- plummeted. Canada, China and Mexico protested, while Germany called on its European partners to prepare for Trump to impose hefty tariffs on their exports and stick together to combat such measures. The tumult recalls Trump's first term, when journalists, business leaders and politicians at home and abroad would scan their phones for the latest pronouncements, often long after they had left the office or over breakfast. During his first four years in the Oval Office, the tweet -- in those days his newsy posts were almost exclusively limited to Twitter, now known as X -- became the quasi-official gazette for administration policy. The public learned of the president-elect's 2020 Covid-19 diagnosis via an early-hours post, and when Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander Qasem Soleimani was assassinated on Trump's order, the Republican confirmed the kill by tweeting a US flag. The public and media learned of numerous other decisions big and small by the same source, from the introduction of customs duties to the dismissal of cabinet secretaries. It is not a communication method that has been favored by any previous US administration and runs counter to the policies and practices of most governments around the world. Throughout his third White House campaign, and with every twist and turn in his various entanglements with the justice system, Trump has poured his heart out on Truth Social, an app he turned to during his 20-month ban from Twitter. In recent days, the mercurial Republican has even named his attorney general secretaries of justice and health via announcements on the network. "He sees social media as a tool to shape and direct the national conversation and will do so again," said political scientist Julian Zelizer, a Princeton University professor. cjc/ft/dw/bjt

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