How to secure attention in the age of distraction
Force24’s head of marketing Sam Holmes on how cruise companies and travel agents can win attention in the age of distraction
Attention has become the most valuable resource in marketing, especially in cruise. With more brands than ever fighting to be seen, clicked and remembered, standing out requires more than just good creative.
The rules of engagement have changed. The average attention span has not just shortened, it has fragmented. For cruise brands, this presents a challenge and an opportunity.
Because in such a distracted world, those who can meet customers with the right message, at the right time, in the right way, are the ones who will win. This is where attention marketing comes in.
It’s not a gimmick or the latest buzzword. It’s a response to a clear shift in consumer behaviour. Relevance beats reach The traditional approach to marketing in travel has often focused on volume.
Big lists, big pushes, big creative. But this is now less effective. If your messaging isn’t grounded in relevance, even the most beautiful campaign will fall flat. The first step is understanding where your customer is in their journey.
Your communications should reflect that context. Relevance isn’t just about using a first name. It’s about speaking to what your audience is feeling. pros of personalisation Personalisation is one of marketing’s most overused terms.
It’s not about gimmicks. It’s about usefulness. That means showing people content they actually care about, when they’re most likely to act on it. For cruise lines, this might mean highlighting destinations a customer has searched for multiple times.
It could mean offering an upgrade to someone who abandoned their basket last week. Keep things simple The power of marketing automation is that it simplifies the day-to-day.
When you’re no longer bogged down in execution, you have more time to focus on what actually moves the needle: story, timing and experience. Don’t worry about building everything at once.
Choose one or two key journeys for your business, like first-time cruisers or lapsed customers. Map out a few messages that align with each step in that journey and build from there.
