How influencers are winning in the attention economy

Today’s consumers spend their time where passion lives – in digital spaces where communities gather, culture shifts in real time, and conversations move faster than a thumb swipe.

Masters of rapid scrolling and swiping, they nimbly bypass most traditional marketing, and the conversations they truly care about are those happening in the feeds of the influencers and creators they choose to follow.

According to new research, the Influence to Impact study conducted by dentsu and Lumen Research, influencer-led brand content consistently outperforms content coming directly from a brand’s own accounts.

Information builds trust, entertainment holds attention

While brands have always faced attention gaps, today’s environment intensifies those challenges.

Media is fragmented across so many different platforms and formats that audiences are scattered to the wind. If you can find them, that doesn’t mean you can engage with them. Consumers no longer have to leave the room or change the channel if they want to avoid brand content as tech-enabled ad blocking effectively delivers a permanently ad-free world.

Multiple studies also show that modern attention spans are shorter, and that the attention of younger audiences is particularly elusive.

Evidence shows that brands today capture less attention per impression, and must work harder with smarter targeting, creativity and cross-channel strategies to make each contact point count.

The key findings of the Influence to Impact study reveal two standout insights for marketers:

• Informational influencer content outperforms – when creators deliver product reviews or recommendations, audiences watch longer and respond with higher levels of consideration. People trust familiar faces to explain, demonstrate and endorse more than they trust corporate accounts.
• Entertainment fuels the strongest connection – skits, humorous takes, and playful creativity don’t just hold attention longer, they also drive deeper affinity with the brand. Entertainment earns the time and focus needed to shift perceptions and inspire action.

On average, influencer content was viewed for 73% longer than brand-led creative (7.3 seconds vs 4.2 seconds). In an environment where audiences scroll past most advertising in under a second, that difference is decisive.

Why influencers matter in the attention economy 

Influencers are succeeding at holding attention because their brand content feels less like an ad campaign and more like part of a real-world conversation. For Gen Z in particular, this matters.

‘Feedback we have had from this year’s dentsu School of Influence programme has highlighted a hunger from marketers to better understand how Gen Z wants to be communicated with. This generation expects brands to show up where they are, speak in the formats they like, and respect the social dynamics of influencer-led communities,’ says Head of Social & Influence at dentsu Creative SA Lebogang Moerane.

‘Gen Z values authenticity and personalised experiences, which is why a brand endorsement from a micro-influencer can be much more effective at winning attention than a celebrity ad campaign.’

As the Influence to Impact Study shows, influencers are no longer a ‘nice to have’ in the media mix. They are central to how attention is captured, held and converted into brand outcomes.

‘As the growing influencer industry begins to mature, marketers need to make their own shifts. What we have learnt is that the number of followers an influencer has is not as consequential as the quality of their engagement in their community – micro-influencers start and have some of the most relevant conversations around a brand,’ concludes Moerane.

‘Trying to control or speak into the creativity or personal branding of an influencer undercuts the authenticity that matters so much to their followers. In striving to stand out in an overcrowded online world, there are so many influencers who have become wonderfully adept at getting what brands really need – attention.

‘Working successfully with influencers means having a nuanced collaboration that understands how influencing works and respects the intricate social dynamics of these modern, youthful and aspirational communities.’

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Picture: Supplied