From Rigid 2.5 Seconds to Flexible 1.5 and a New Pillar Too? Karen Nelson-Field’s Rapid Shift in Attention Metrics
Karen Nelson-Field is unquestionably a leading voice in contemporary marketing, notably shaping industry discourse around attention metrics. Her contributions have opened essential conversations, particularly with her widely cited yet controversial „2½-second attention-memory threshold.“ However, as detailed in my critique dated January 1, 2025, I argued strongly against this overly simplistic benchmark, highlighting its methodological opacity and its neglect of critical factors such as brand familiarity, emotional engagement, and contextual variability. Indeed, recent events have validated these concerns.
At the DK2025 conference in Croatia on May 16, 2025, Karen herself publicly revised her stance, acknowledging flexibility below her previously rigid threshold—lowering the threshold to around 1.5 seconds. Her argument closely mirrors my earlier points: with distinctive branding and strong creative execution, effective memory formation occurs even below her original 2½-second benchmark.
This shift is significant—it underscores attention’s inherent complexity and variability. Against this backdrop, Karen’s introduction of „Attention Availability“ as an additional, standalone pillar alongside Physical and Mental Availability warrants careful reconsideration. While attention is undeniably crucial, proposing it as a separate structural component risks unnecessary complexity. Attention, in reality, is integral and inherently embedded within the already robust concepts of Physical and Mental Availability.
This critique aims to constructively reframe the conversation, emphasizing practicality and clarity rather than creating an additional layer of conceptual abstraction.
Context of Karen’s New Concept – Attention Availability
Karen Nelson-Field introduced „Attention Availability“ in her article published on May 20, 2025 in Warc. In this piece, she argues for Attention Availability as a foundational addition to the established Ehrenberg-Bass model, complementing Physical and Mental Availability.
Physical Availability addresses how easily consumers can access or purchase a brand. It incorporates distribution, product visibility, and ease of finding a brand across various retail and digital touchpoints. Mental Availability, extensively articulated by Byron Sharp and colleagues at Ehrenberg-Bass, revolves around creating and reinforcing distinctive brand assets and memory structures, making the brand easily recalled during purchase decisions. Both concepts implicitly integrate the notion of attention—visibility and recall inherently depend on capturing consumer attention.
Karen argues that without explicitly managing and measuring attention, marketers risk the effectiveness of their mental and physical availability strategies. According to her new proposition, „Attention Availability“ is not just another metric but a critical structural prerequisite to achieving successful mental recall and physical presence.
Attention: Integral and Evident, Not Revolutionary
While Karen rightly emphasizes attention’s crucial role, elevating it as a separate pillar overshadows the inherent role attention already plays in existing frameworks. Attention is naturally embedded within both Mental and Physical Availability. The shelf position of a product, for instance, directly influences the attention it commands, inherently linking attention to Physical Availability. Likewise, distinctive creative branding, essential for Mental Availability, is fundamentally about capturing and maintaining attention.
Moreover, recognizing attention as media-driven isn’t revolutionary—it’s a longstanding understanding within media planning. Different platforms inherently have varying attention dynamics, from passive linear television to active social media feeds. Marketers continuously adapt their approaches according to these media-specific attention patterns. Hence, introducing attention as an entirely new structural concept risks complicating rather than clarifying effective media strategy.
Furthermore, attention alone should never become the single, determining factor in strategic decision-making. Marketing dynamics vary significantly by category and brand context. Thus, the inherent elasticity and multifaceted nature of attention must be balanced with creative strength, strategic targeting, and brand positioning.
Beyond the Attention Myth – Practical Marketing Without Additional Complexity
Integrating attention metrics into existing frameworks offers clarity and actionable insights without unnecessary complexity. Effective marketing strategies should combine cumulative attention with creativity, contextual relevance, and precise audience targeting, steering clear of rigid attention benchmarks.
Focus on cumulative attention and context-driven media planning instead of fixed thresholds. Prioritize blending attention insights with key marketing elements—creativity, message relevance, media context, and targeting. Encourage marketers to avoid treating attention as a standalone “golden metric,” instead embedding it practically within established models. Promote ongoing, constructive dialogue about attention metrics without elevating them into new, isolated pillars.