Why authenticity, expertise and consistency are becoming more valuable than traditional marketing in today’s attention economy

MUMBAI: In 1971, Herbert A. Simon, writing about the concept of the attention economy, said, “A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.” 

That was decades ago. That poverty of attention has reached its peak in the age of artificial intelligence (AI) because we are perennially bombarded with various types of content. According to the latest estimates, the world creates over 400 million terabytes of data each day. The primary reason for the surge in content is that smartphones have empowered every individual to become a creator and influencer. In fact, we may be heading towards a world where the line between creators and consumers of content is blurring. Besides, the rise of AI-generated content is spawning even more content, allowing people to conveniently flick from one piece of content to another.

According to the Nielsen Norman Group’s 2026 Digital Focus Report, the average screen-based attention span fell from 47 seconds in 2024 to 43 seconds this year.

In such a scenario where content is overflowing, brands and content creators need to stand out to capture people’s shrinking attention spans. Traditional marketing, including simply roping in a big celebrity to advertise a product, is no longer sufficient on its own. Authenticity, expertise and consistency are becoming the key ingredients for marketing products in an increasingly competitive attention economy.

Authenticity: People have moved on from the days of being starstruck by someone on the big screen. They want to know the real person beyond the camera. Therefore, it is important that a person does not put on an act because it is easy to detect a performance in today’s world. Besides, trying to copy someone’s style just to appear like someone else could also be detrimental to a person’s image because it betrays the originality people seek in content. Being inauthentic will only break trust and lose an audience. As Howard Schultz, former CEO of Starbucks, said, “Mass advertising can help build brands, but authenticity is what makes them last.”

Expertise: There is a popular saying: Jack of all trades and master of none. While doing a lot of things might initially attract attention, at the end of the day people would want to know what your expertise is and accordingly decide whether to keep consuming your content. It is important to understand your niche and know what you are good at. For instance, if you don’t know the fundamentals of classical music but decide to create content around it, people are likely to notice. You may have done your research and put in the hard work to understand it, but they will still see through your lack of expertise. That itself may be reason enough for people to abandon your content. Expertise allows you to build on what you know and continuously innovate, whereas traditional marketing campaigns often rely on repeating the same message for long periods. That eventually leads to boredom.

Consistency: In marketing there is an age old adage: Out of sight is out of mind. That is especially true for brands and content creators today. One viral piece of content or one fantastic marketing campaign may elevate the image of a person or brand, but it can just as easily fade from people’s memory. Consistency is therefore key. Even something as basic as posting at a regular time creates anticipation among the audience. And if someone takes a break from producing content, they should make their audience feel like they are waiting for the next season of the hit series Game of Thrones. That itself is an act of consistency because people won’t feel that you are disappearing or suddenly pivoting into something entirely different.

Competition in the attention economy is only set to become fiercer, not only because of the rise of AI-generated content but also because of the upcoming hardware battleground as tech giants push AR glasses and VR headsets closer to our everyday lives. As that happens, authenticity, expertise and consistency will determine whether people continue engaging with the creators and brands delivering content through those platforms.