388 Meters in 108 Minutes. What a Thumb Race!

OR… ‘DUMB’ RACE?

Every day, we scroll nearly 400 meters—that’s four football fields of mindless swiping. And in the rush of flicking past updates, promotions, and endless feeds, how many messages actually stick?

This isn’t just a B2C issue. It’s a B2B battlefield, too. Decision-makers aren’t sitting down with a neat stack of brochures anymore. They’re drowning in emails, Slack notifications, LinkedIn pitches, and whitepapers that barely get skimmed before being archived (or worse, ignored). In fact, 77% of B2B buyers say their last purchase was “very complex or difficult” due to an overwhelming amount of information (Gartner). Add to that cognitive overload, with studies showing that scrolling fatigue leads to 40% lower engagement rates after just a few minutes of continuous swiping, and the challenge becomes clear: if your brand isn’t grabbing attention fast, you’re just another blur in the feed.

Winning the ‘Thumb Race’ in B2B

So how do you make sure your message lands before the next swipe?

• Hook in 3 Seconds: If it doesn’t stop the scroll, it’s invisible. Three seconds is all you get. Research from Meta shows that 65% of people who watch the first three seconds of a video will continue for at least 10 seconds—make them count with intrigue, contrast, or urgency.

• Be Human, Not Corporate: Nobody wants to read another robotic corporate statement. People engage with people, not press releases. In fact, emotionally-driven campaigns outperform fact-based ones by 31% in engagement rates (Harvard Business Review). Ditch the jargon and speak like a person.

• Attention is the Real Competition: Your competitors aren’t just other brands. You’re up against TikTok videos, AI-generated memes, and the latest viral distraction. The average attention span is now estimated at 8.25 seconds (down from 12 seconds in 2000). If your content doesn’t create a pattern break, it’s gone before it even registers.

The Attention Economy is the Real Battlefield

As marketers, we’re fighting against overstimulation, digital fatigue, and shrinking attention spans. We’re not just in competition for market share; we’re in competition for milliseconds of mental space.

But distraction goes beyond just digital noise. We’re also competing with real-life interruptions—from breaking news and political shifts to personal concerns like family issues and health. In a world of uncertainty, where the next global event could reshape priorities overnight, staying relevant means understanding that people’s minds are already overloaded with far more than just industry updates.

B2B: A ‘Dumb’ Race or a ‘Dumb’ Relay?

In B2C, the fight for attention is often a direct sprint—a single consumer sees an ad, feels an impulse, and makes a decision. But in B2B, the process is more like a relay race. The journey from initial interest to a final purchase often passes through multiple hands: researchers, stakeholders, financial controllers, and decision-makers. If your message doesn’t make it past each checkpoint, the baton gets dropped and the deal goes cold.

So, while B2C fights a Dumb Race, B2B fights a Dumb Relay—where every step is an opportunity to lose momentum. If your brand can’t maintain engagement at every touchpoint, you’ll never cross the finish line.

The STOP Framework

Ensuring Your Campaign Breaks Through the Noise

To avoid getting lost in the scroll abyss, here’s a simple methodology to assess your campaign effectiveness before launch:

(S) – Scan the Landscape: What distractions are currently dominating attention? Consider trends, industry news, and political/economic events that might shift focus. Ensure your message isn’t tone-deaf or misaligned with what’s top-of-mind for your audience.

(T) – Test the Hook: Does your content pass the 3-second test? Use A/B testing or focus groups to measure first impressions. If your campaign doesn’t create immediate intrigue, rework the angle until it does.

(O) – Optimize for Relatability: Are you speaking like a human or a corporate bot? Your messaging should feel natural, emotional, and personal. Studies show that relatable, authentic content generates twice as much engagement as generic messaging (Edelman Trust Barometer).

(P) – Prolong Engagement: Don’t just capture attention—sustain it. Use retargeting, sequential storytelling, and interactive formats to keep people involved beyond the initial scroll. In B2B, where decision-making involves multiple stakeholders, re-engagement strategies can boost conversion rates by up to 70% (McKinsey & Company).

The Real Question: Is Your Brand Memorable or Just Part of the ‘Dumb’ Race?

Next time you post, ask yourself:
Will this make someone stop—or will it disappear into the scroll abyss?