The Consumer Journey: The Evolution of Attention and Engagement

Paul Wright, Head of Uber Advertising UK and Ireland, Uber, sits down with ExchangeWire to talk about the constantly evolving customer attention journey, and how brands can stand out amongst the digital noise.

The consumer journey is the path that a customer takes from first awareness of a product or service to purchase and beyond. It is a complex and ever-evolving process, influenced by a variety of factors, including the customer's needs, wants, and motivations.

Early customer journey models were typically linear, with customers moving through a series of stages from awareness to purchase to loyalty. These models were often based on the traditional marketing funnel, which divided the customer journey into five stages: awareness, interest, evaluation, trial, and adoption.

One of the earliest customer journey models was the AIDA model, which was developed in the early 1900s. AIDA stands for Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action. This model suggests that customers move through these four stages when making a purchase decision.

Another early customer journey model is the BANT model, which was developed in the 1980s. BANT stands for Budget, Authority, Need, and Timeline. This model helps businesses to qualify leads by understanding their budget, authority, need, and timeline for making a purchase.

While these early customer journey models were helpful in understanding the general phases of the customer journey, they were not always accurate. In reality, the customer journey is often more complex and nonlinear than these models suggest.

In recent years, there has been a shift towards more sophisticated customer journey models that take into account the complexity of the modern customer journey. These models often use data and analytics to track customer behavior and identify key touch points throughout the customer journey.

This has led to a more fragmented and complex consumer journey. Customers may now interact with a brand at multiple touchpoints, both online and offline, before making a purchase. This makes it more challenging for brands to track and understand the customer journey, and to deliver relevant and engaging experiences at each touchpoint.

Today's consumers are more active and engaged. They are constantly receiving messages from brands, and they have more control over how they interact with those messages.

This shift in consumer behaviour has made it more challenging for brands to capture and maintain attention. In order to be successful, brands need to create content that is relevant, engaging, and shareable. They also need to be present on the right channels and at the right time. 

At Uber, our ambition is to become a channel of choice for advertisers, offering them new and impactful ways to reach highly engaged audiences. Through first-party data, we can personalise ads based on a user’s current activity—like when they’re heading to the airport or ordering their next meal—as well as their interests as suggested by previous trips and orders. Campaigns to date have surpassed expectations in terms of brand lift, engagement, and other campaign goals. Our Journey Ads have an average global view time of over 90 seconds.

Importantly, we can do this without sharing any personal information with the advertiser. We recognise the significant responsibility we have to be transparent with our users, protect their data, and earn their trust.

Here are some tips for brands that want to succeed in the new consumer journey:

• Understand the customer journey: The first step to success is to understand the customer journey. This involves understanding the customer's needs, wants, and pain points, as well as the channels that they use to interact with brands.

• Contextualise the customer experience: Customers are increasingly demanding a contextual  and seamless customer experience. Brands can personalise the customer experience by using data to understand the customer's needs and preferences, and by delivering relevant and engaging content at each touchpoint.

• Create a seamless customer experience: Customers want a seamless customer experience that spans multiple channels. Brands can create a seamless customer experience by integrating their marketing and sales systems, and by providing customers with a consistent experience across all channels.

• Measure the customer journey: Brands need to measure the customer journey in order to understand what is working and what is not. This can be done by collecting data from a variety of sources, such as website analytics, social media analytics, and customer surveys to build an accurate picture.

The consumer journey is a complex process that is constantly evolving. Advertisers need to be aware of the different factors that influence the consumer journey and adapt their strategies accordingly. This will help them to reach their target audiences and achieve their marketing goals. A win-win for all concerned.