Following instructions. A lost art?

I read often about how life in a digital age, where we are bombarded with vast swathes of easily digestible information, has resulted in a population who have short attention spans and aren’t interested in detail.  Until this week I would have disagreed with this sweeping generalisation.

However…I’m now not so sure how sweeping and generalised this actually is.

I’ve just launched a product trial where participants need to scan a QR code and enter a password to enter the trial. That’s it.  Oh, and if they have technical problems to contact the helpline (I am to technical problems what chocolate is to teapot construction).  The instructions were delivered verbally, in writing and via video.  And so far about 50% have contacted me (not the helpline 😊)  not knowing the password or not knowing what to scan.

So that’s at least half who haven’t read the instructions.

Of course, it’s not a big deal. And it’s an insight in itself for the eventual product launch. But it has made me really think about how much attention we are willing to pay – or have time to pay – to the details of life and what the implications of this are for marketeers as we strive to grab and hold people’s attention. Clearly it’s never been more important to tell a compelling story that is clear and succinct, and to be easy to deal with, as people aren’t going to hang around to figure it out.

Now please excuse me, just remembered it’s time to go and feed my Goldfish.

#shortattentionspan #feedthegoldfish #storytelling #shortandsweet