Attention is scarce, noise is cheap, and shoppers are rewriting the rules. We sit down with brand and growth strategist Erin Campbell to map the new terrain: how to reach people who spend 13 hours a day with media yet crave less clutter and more connection. The core idea that anchors our exchange is simple and hard: tactics are table stakes, meaning is the moat. Erin breaks down how to identify the heart of your audience, connect it to the soul of your brand, and build a brand world that travels across touchpoints with texture instead of repetition.
From there, we dive into the boom in secondhand shopping, and why it’s more than thrift. Resale blends value, sustainability, and identity, empowering buyers to access rare goods and express taste with provenance. We compare platforms like eBay and GOAT, talk authentication and trust, and explore why brands shouldn’t rush to “own” the resale moment so much as craft products and stories worthy of second lives. You’ll hear practical angles on scarcity with purpose, community lore, and making goods that age into artifacts.
We also explore the analog comeback: vinyl, paper books, film cameras, even corded phones for kids. After years of chasing frictionless everything, intentional friction feels like relief. Analog rituals offer presence, delayed gratification, and shared memory, things digital rarely sustains. We spotlight LEGO’s mindful build experiences and why designing for calm can be a competitive edge. Along the way we weigh quick hits, from Toys "R" Us 2.0 and experiential retail to Apple’s pricey phone sock and Doug McMillon’s Walmart legacy, and extract lessons any operator can use.
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More About this Episode
The New Attention Economy: Why Retail Needs to Rethink the Shopper Journey
In a world where shoppers are overwhelmed, overstimulated, and increasingly difficult to engage, it’s time for brands and retailers to take a long, hard look at how they're connecting, or failing to connect, with today’s consumer. Shopper behavior has shifted dramatically in the past few years, and those who are clinging to yesterday’s playbooks are going to get left behind.
We’re not talking about incremental changes here. We’re talking about seismic shifts in how people experience media, engage with brands, and ultimately make purchase decisions. These changes demand not just new tactics, but an entirely new mindset around attention, value, authenticity, and even what counts as “new.”
Let’s break it down.
The Fractured Attention of Today’s Consumer
If you feel like people are harder to reach than ever before, you're not imagining things. According to McKinsey, U.S. consumers now spend an average of 13 hours per day consuming media. That’s not a typo, 13 hours. And within that sea of screens, the average attention span for a single piece of content has dropped from two and a half minutes to just 47 seconds.
Think about that.
That’s not enough time to build a case. It’s barely enough time to say hello. We’re living in an era of micro-moments, context switching, and device juggling. Consumers might be listening to a podcast while scrolling through TikTok, while also glancing up at a connected TV, while texting a friend. Their brains are doing the equivalent of 52 browser tabs open at once.
This fragmentation is creating what we’re calling the “New Attention Economy.” And in this economy, attention is no longer just a media metric, it’s the most scarce and valuable resource in the entire customer journey.
So, how do you earn it?
Forget Funnels, Build Brand Worlds
Traditional advertising models often assume a linear path to purchase, Awareness > Consideration > Conversion. But the reality today is anything but linear. Shoppers are jumping in and out of platforms, engaging with brands across screens, skipping ads, and multitasking their way through decisions.
That means brands must shift from a “reach and frequency” mindset to one of meaning and memory. It’s no longer about how many times someone sees your ad. It’s about what they feel when they interact with your brand, and whether that interaction is memorable enough to rise above the noise.
To do that, brands need to move beyond storytelling to storyliving. This means creating immersive brand ecosystems that give people a chance to see, hear, feel, and even participate in your brand. The goal isn’t just to deliver a message, it’s to build a world that your audience wants to step into.
The best part? This doesn’t always require a huge media budget. Often, it just requires clarity, cohesion, and creativity.
Brand Soul vs. Brand Tactics
If your brand had a soul, what would it care about? What would it fight for? What would it never compromise on?
These are the questions brands must answer today if they want to stand out. Shoppers are no longer satisfied with products that just “work.” They want to align with brands that reflect their values, match their aesthetic, or even signal their identity to others.
That’s why brand positioning needs to be less about features and benefits, and more about purpose and personality. Today’s best brands act more like people than corporations. They have opinions. They have style. They have a vibe. And most importantly, they have something to say, even if it means some people won’t agree.
The key is depth. When a brand knows who it is at its core, every touchpoint, from a podcast ad to a product detail page, becomes a chance to reinforce that soul. This is how loyalty is built in the Attention Economy.
Discovery, Disruption, and the Return of Analog
In a world of endless digital stimulation, some shoppers are deliberately opting out.
They’re thrifting. They’re buying secondhand. They’re writing in journals. They’re sending physical cards. They’re developing film. And yes, they’re even using rotary-style phones, just ask the team behind Tin Can, the corded phone for kids that’s become an unexpected cult favorite.
This analog resurgence isn’t about nostalgia for its own sake. It’s about the experience. Physical, tangible interactions offer something that digital simply can’t: intentionality, texture, and presence.
This is also why secondhand shopping has gone from fringe behavior to mainstream habit. According to eBay, over 86% of people have participated in resale over the past year. It’s not just about saving money. It’s about originality, sustainability, and expressing personal style in a world that often feels algorithmically homogeneous.
Whether it’s vintage Oscar de la Renta for under $10 at Goodwill, or $1,000 limited-edition sneakers snagged from GOAT at a fraction of the price, shoppers are finding value beyond the traditional “new and now.” The resale market is less about price and more about access, story, and status.
The takeaway? Brands must understand that value today is about more than just cost, it’s about cultural capital.
What We Can Learn from Toys“R”Us, Apple, and Walmart
Let’s talk about three very different case studies that say a lot about how brands are navigating this new landscape.
Toys“R”Us is attempting a comeback, but to succeed, they can’t just rely on nostalgia. If they want to win over today’s families, they’ll need to deliver something Amazon can’t: experience, ritual, and shared memories. Think Build-A-Bear, not a toy warehouse. Today’s best retailers aren’t just stores, they’re memory-making machines.
Apple, on the other hand, may have missed the mark with its $229 “iPhone sock.” While it had the design pedigree and media buzz, it lacked clarity of purpose. Was it a joke? A fashion statement? A legit accessory? In an Attention Economy, ambiguity can be costly, unless you fully commit to the bit.
Walmart, under Doug McMillon’s leadership, has been the opposite of ambiguous. His vision was clear: transform Walmart into a tech-forward, omni-channel powerhouse. He took short-term hits on the stock price to make long-term investments in digital infrastructure and talent. And it paid off. Walmart is now not just a price leader, it’s a retail innovation leader. And perhaps most importantly, it’s managed to attract a more affluent audience without losing its base.
Designing for the Distracted Shopper
So what should brands actually do with all of this?
Here are some starting points:
- Rethink AttentionInstead of buying more impressions, aim to earn attention with creativity that makes people feel seen, heard, or inspired, even for just a second.
- Build Emotional ConnectionFocus on what your brand stands for, not just what it sells. Craft stories and experiences that create a sense of belonging.
- Design for DiscoveryThink beyond the transaction. How can your brand invite people in? How can you create rituals, adventures, or moments of surprise?
- Lean Into AnalogExplore how tactile, in-person, or human-first experiences can cut through the noise. The future isn’t fully digital, it’s phygital.
- Use Digital StrategicallyJust because a platform exists doesn’t mean you need to be on it. Ask: is this where my audience is, and does this format let me tell my story in the best way?
Final Thought: Meaning is the New Media
At the end of the day, it’s not about marketing harder, it’s about marketing smarter.
Today’s consumers are overloaded with information but starved for meaning. They want brands that reflect who they are, support what they care about, and help them find clarity in a cluttered world.
If you want to thrive in the Attention Economy, stop shouting. Start connecting.
Because the brands that will win aren’t the ones that chase attention. They’re the ones that deserve it.
