Disruptive Pattern – Paving The Way Forward In Business And Marketing
Updated: Feb 22, 2024
Written by: Dominus Owen Markham, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
How often have you heard the phrase “don't try and reinvent the wheel”? The term is often used in business to indicate that evergreen methods will always be the mainstay.
The basic design of the wheel dates back to the 4th millennium BC and that said it still exists but has gone through many changes and it is indeed the backbone of the transport, agricultural, and craft industries.
That said and whilst the wheel itself will not be reinvented, as such, the advancement of technology likely means it will be superseded to some extent.
Zooming around like a million Jetsons is not too far off in the future!
Observing The Evergreen Principals
Sales and Marketing often also work on the basis that, a specific methodology has “always worked”, so why change it? There are facets of that assertion I agree with, the application of psychological principles is worthy of consideration within the context of business… but the marketplace is ever-changing.
In an ever-changing marketplace and being able to stand out from the rest takes a little more than just following the accepted methods blindly.
When observing the innovation of several businesses, actually deviating from the “evergreen path”, clearly they are realising they have to work even harder at standing out from the crowd. I am sure you are beginning to note the “scroll-stopping” adverts seen in social media, that are starting to harness what I call the “Disruptive Pattern” and that definitely slows down the media blur.
Why Create A Disruptive Pattern When Marketing?
To an ex-British forces serviceman, such as myself, a disruptive pattern is more about concealing, but perhaps there is an element to this also in successful sales copy and visual marketing.
Creating a disruption in the traditionally accepted pattern of long-acknowledged methods of advertising is something to be considered going forward. When you consider that you have around 8 to 10 seconds to communicate your value proposition to keep customer attention and that's when and if you have grabbed their attention, which needs to happen within 3 seconds or less!
Take A Look Around You
So, the way I see it, and generally attempt to apply it to my work, is to observe the tried and tested triggers but layer it within a “disruptive pattern”, we need to be shouting out from the scroll of doom not becoming yet another “standard/evergreen” recreation.
A certain mailbox of mine constantly fills with emails from sales-orientated offers, hundreds a day, and yes I do pay attention, perhaps there is a golden nugget in there that jumps out rather than becoming the next delete.
Create a database of what you encounter, observe the impact different media can have, and experiment in your A/B testing phase. Be open to new and unique ways to get either your or your client's word out there.
The Crux Of It All
Those first few seconds, whether it be on social media, in an email or on a website are critical, peoples attention spans have reduced from 2.5mins for any proposition to such a significant fraction of time of around 1.7 and 2 seconds,¹ that creating a pattern disruption increases the possibility of your actual message being consumed is key.
Discovering what is attention grabbing can often be a labour-intensive activity although keeping a check and a note of what is stopping the marketing blur for YOU is an activity you need to involve yourself in daily.
Conclusion:
In a world where competition is fierce and attention spans are limited, embracing disruptive patterns becomes essential for businesses and marketers. While proven methods have their merits, it is crucial to adapt and evolve to meet the changing demands of the marketplace. By incorporating disruptive patterns into sales, marketing, and visual strategies, businesses can effectively capture audience attention, differentiate themselves from the competition, and pave the way forward to success.
Now, go, DISRUPT, avoid being part of the ordinary stream, and grab those eyeballs!
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Dominus Owen Markham, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Dominus Owen Markham is a Copywriter, Start up Business Coach and Entrepreneur. He comes from a family with a military background and has served himself in the Royal Air Force. He has experience in high turnover business, both on and offline, at a Senior Level. He is the owner and creator of several online resources which promote, specifically, assisting start-up businesses. He makes his Copywriting services available through WeCopyWrite.com. His Mission: Help People Grow The Seed Of Business Ideas.
References: [1] According to a study by Facebook, the average attention span on the platform for video content is just about 2 seconds on desktop and 1.7 seconds on mobile¹. Another study investigated whether consumers dedicate different levels of attention to an ad in a social media newsfeed depending on consumer recommendation (with versus without) and type of device (smartphone versus desktop personal computer [PC])².
Sources:
(1) Attention span on social media is 2 seconds. Is it enough time? https://www.careerarc.com/blog/attention-span-on-social-media/.
(2) Full article: Attention to Social Media Ads: The Role of Consumer .... https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15252019.2021.1997675.
(3) How does social media affect my attention span? | World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/02/challenges-potential-benefits-digital-distractions-social-media-mobile-phones/.
(4) Your attention didn’t collapse. It was stolen - The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/jan/02/attention-span-focus-screens-apps-smartphones-social-media
