As users split their time across multiple platforms, the traditional scale-led media planning model has weakened, with high reach no longer guaranteeing visibility or recall
Consumers have never been more digitally accessible. With average daily internet usage crossing six hours, audiences are constantly connected across devices, platforms and formats. Yet, for marketers, this unprecedented reach is not translating into deeper engagement. Instead, it is exposing a growing paradox. The more time consumers spend online, the harder it is for brands to capture meaningful attention.
This shift is being driven by the fragmentation of consumer journeys. Users are no longer concentrated on a handful of platforms, instead splitting their time across social media, streaming services, gaming environments, messaging apps and niche communities. This dispersal has weakened the traditional advantage of scale-led media planning, where high reach once guaranteed visibility and recall.
Industry experts point out that attention today is not just scarce but highly volatile. Content is consumed in rapid, scroll-driven bursts, with algorithms constantly reshaping discovery. In this environment, even high-frequency exposure does not ensure impact. Brands are finding that being present is no longer enough. They must be contextually relevant within micro-moments that last only a few seconds.
Adding a B2B lens to this shift, Atul Bansal, VP and Head of Marketing at GoKwik, noted that the company sees this challenge both as a brand and through the lens of thousands of D2C brands on its network, shaping its overall marketing approach. He added that the traditional B2B playbook of being present across platforms such as
LinkedIn, events, webinars and industry publications is no longer sufficient.
“Being everywhere doesn’t mean you’re landing with the right person at the right moment. So, we are shifting from a platform-first mindset to a signal-first one. The question isn’t ‘how do we show up on Instagram, LinkedIn, and email’ – it’s ‘where is the intent right now’,” he said.
Building on this shift towards intent, Bansal added that messaging is now tailored to distinct cohorts, with founders seeking sharp insights, operators looking for proof,
and brand teams prioritising ROI stories from recognisable merchants. This is enabled through real checkout data, merchant narratives and performance signals
rather than generic content.
He further noted that the shift towards WhatsApp is equally pronounced, with 15– 20% CTRs compared to 2–3% on email, signalling a clear behavioural change and
reinforcing the strategy of taking the funnel to where consumers already are.
Taken together, these shifts are reshaping media strategy. Marketers are moving away from broad, reach-heavy campaigns towards more adaptive and intent-driven
approaches. Real-time signals, platform-specific creative and personalised messaging are becoming critical to breaking through the clutter. The focus is shifting from how many people a campaign reaches to how meaningfully it engages them in a given moment.
Creative strategies are evolving in parallel. Short-form, platform-native content is gaining precedence over traditional formats, with brands investing in storytelling
aligned to user behaviour rather than repurposing a single asset across channels. The rise of creators and influencer-led ecosystems is further reshaping how brands insert themselves into consumer conversations.
At the same time, measurement frameworks are under pressure. Conventional metrics like impressions and reach are increasingly seen as insufficient, pushing
marketers to explore attention-based metrics, engagement depth and business-linked outcomes to better understand effectiveness in a fragmented landscape.
Industry experts echoed this broader shift. Ambika Sharma, Founder and Chief Strategist, Pulp Strategy said, “More time online has not translated into more
attention. It has fragmented it. Brands are now moving from campaign bursts to always-on, context-led systems. The focus is on meeting consumers in the moment
with relevance, not pushing uniform messaging across platforms.
”She noted that this requires sharper audience intelligence, modular content and sequenced touchpoints, where each interaction builds on the last, with relevance now
driving reach rather than the other way around.
According to Keyur Dhami, SVP – Customer Success (Key Accounts) & CoE, WebEngage, “Brand marketing strategies have become increasingly targeted, focusing more on providing relevant content to users based on their decision-maker status.”
“To achieve this goal, many brands are creating real-time, contextualized customer experiences through the use of first-party data about user behaviours across multiple channels,” he said.
He said this shift is evident in e-commerce, where user journeys extend beyond a single session. If a purchase is not completed, brands re-engage through push
notifications and personalised emails, often featuring viewed items, reviews, or updated pricing. The experience remains seamless, with AI-driven automation
making cross-channel interactions more connected and effective.
Similarly, Yasin Hamidani, Director, Media Care Brand Solutions, explained that brands are shifting from chasing scale to designing for moments, adapting content to
platform behaviour so it is short, contextual and native to consumption patterns. This is also driving a move from campaign bursts to always-on storytelling, with the focus shifting from mass reach to relevance among the right audience at the right moment.
How can brands stay consistently relevant?
“Relevance starts with actually knowing something your audience needs to know – something that changes how they think or act,” said Bansal.
He explained that the company’s approach is anchored in its access to large-scale e- commerce intelligence from one of India’s biggest D2C networks, giving it a
differentiated point of view. However, he emphasised that data alone does not build relevance, consistency of voice does, with every piece of content needing to align with the brand’s core proposition of enabling frictionless, intelligence-led growth for D2C brands.
He added that utility at a micro level is often underrated, with practical, insight-led content proving more effective than high-gloss campaigns. Such consistency, Bansal
noted, is no longer about frequency, but about creating content that audiences find genuinely worth engaging with.
Experts also pointed to what is working in capturing meaningful attention. “What’s working is content that earns attention, not interrupts it. Native formats, creator-led
storytelling, and culturally relevant ideas are performing better than polished but generic ads,” said Hamidani.
He noted that stronger results are emerging from high-attention environments such as CTV and short-form video, adding that consistency remains critical, with brands
that show up repeatedly with a clear voice building memory rather than just momentary engagement.
Sharma suggested that what is working is not louder content but sharper intent alignment, with formats that deliver immediate value, clarity or emotion within
seconds holding attention, and strong hooks, culturally aware storytelling and platform-native execution outweighing production scale. “At the same time, brands
that connect attention to action through owned ecosystems, CRM, and structured funnels are seeing real impact. Attention without a system behind it is just a spike.
Attention that flows into a journey drives outcomes.”
Dhami said agencies are seeing better results with personalised, lifecycle-based messaging rather than mass blasts. Trigger-led campaigns based on user behaviour,
along with concise, utility-driven formats, are more effective.
For instance, a loan reminder with a clear next step or content recommendations based on viewing history outperform generic outreach.
He added that meaningful attention comes from delivering value in context, not just increasing frequency.
The broader takeaway is clear. The promise of scale is giving way to the challenge of relevance. In a digital ecosystem defined by fleeting attention and constant choice,
brands that can align with consumer intent in the right moment are more likely to stand out. Those that rely solely on visibility risk being seen but not remembered.
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