The Attention Supply Chain

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📦 The Attention Supply Chain: Why Controlling Distribution Matters More Than Product in 2025

For years, brands obsessed over product innovation—better formulas, sleeker designs, and superior features. But in today’s market, product alone isn’t enough. The brands that win aren’t just making great products. They’re controlling distribution.

In 2025, who owns the attention supply chain will own the market. Here’s why—and how to position yourself before it’s too late.

Why Distribution is the Real Competitive Advantage

Most brands focus on what they sell. The smartest brands focus on where and how customers buy. Product quality matters—but distribution controls visibility, accessibility, and ultimately, sales.

Amazon, TikTok Shop, and Instagram Checkout aren’t just sales channels. They are the new gatekeepers of consumer attention. These platforms prioritize their own ecosystems, making it harder for DTC brands to drive customers to their own websites. If your strategy still revolves around website traffic and email lists, you’re fighting a losing battle.

Instead of trying to drive traffic to your store, meet customers where they already shop. The frictionless brands—the ones that remove steps between discovery and purchase—will dominate.

How to Control Your Distribution Before It Controls You

1️⃣ Stop Forcing Website Traffic—Sell Where the Traffic Already Is

Driving users to a Shopify checkout is becoming less effective as platforms build native purchasing experiences. Instead of fighting for attention, align with platform incentives.

• Sell directly inside TikTok Shop, Amazon Buy Now, and Instagram Checkout. These platforms push sellers who adopt their tools, rewarding them with free reach and lower ad costs.
• Prioritize one-click, in-app checkout over long-winded sales funnels. Attention is fleeting—eliminate unnecessary steps.

The fewer clicks between seeing an ad and making a purchase, the higher your conversion rate.

2️⃣ Treat Retail and Marketplaces as Acquisition, Not Just Sales

Most brands view Amazon and retail as distribution channels. The smart ones treat them as customer acquisition engines.

• Leverage Amazon’s built-in demand. Instead of competing with Amazon, use it to acquire customers, then re-engage them with post-purchase incentives.
• Expand offline for credibility. A DTC brand with an in-store presence (even in limited locations) instantly increases perceived trust.

If you’re only selling online, you’re missing the full picture of consumer behavior.

3️⃣ Own the Last Mile: Retain Customers Through Direct Engagement

Even if you rely on third-party platforms for distribution, you need to control retention.

• Post-purchase engagement matters more than pre-purchase marketing. Offer VIP discounts, limited drops, and loyalty incentives inside product packaging.
• Turn customers into distribution channels. Incentivize UGC, referrals, and word-of-mouth marketing to drive repeat sales at zero ad cost.

Final Takeaway: If You Don’t Own Distribution, You Don’t Own Your Business

Great products aren’t enough. Control over how customers find, buy, and stay engaged with your brand is everything. Brands that master distribution-first thinking will own the next wave of e-commerce. Those that don’t? They’ll be stuck competing on product alone—and that’s a race to the bottom.

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📉 Marketing Campaign Struggles Are Rising
Insights from Marketing Dive

The 2024 Gartner Channel Campaign Management Survey analyzes the challenges marketers face in executing and measuring campaigns effectively. Conducted across North America and Europe, the survey gathered insights from senior marketing decision-makers across various industries.

The Breakdown:

• More Campaigns, Less Budget Efficiency - Marketers are launching more campaigns, but only 45% of budgets go toward them, while 55% is spent on technology and transformation. Additionally, 68% struggle with budget constraints in managing campaign resources, making execution more difficult.
• Challenges in Measuring & Proving Impact - Tracking performance remains a major hurdle, with 70% struggling to measure ROI and 66% finding it difficult to prove campaign success to stakeholders. Additionally, 60% of marketers struggle to align campaign strategies with business goals.
• What High Performers Do Differently - Top-performing brands prioritize governance, content strategy, and execution. 83% excel in governance and market strategy, while 77% outperform in channel management and content strategy. However, even top brands face challenges in customer journey execution (73%), signaling the need for better cross-channel coordination.

Marketing success today isn’t just about increasing campaign volume—it’s about better measurement, strategic execution, and AI-driven optimization. Brands that focus on governance, data-driven decision-making, and cross-team collaboration see better results.

🚀 Quick Hits

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❌ X claims Gen Z engagement is rising, with an 8% YoY increase and 31% of its users now Gen Z. It touts a 19% unique reach over TikTok and 81% over Threads, but Pew data shows only 23% of U.S. teens use X.

📌 Pinterest is tackling AI-generated content overload, announcing plans to expand AI labeling after Futurism exposed a surge of fake images ranking in top search results. The platform initially dismissed concerns but later confirmed new labeling efforts, improving transparency for 465 million monthly users.

🎫 Google Ads now runs separate auctions for each ad location, a change quietly added to its documentation. This could favor big-budget brands, disrupt bidding strategies, and increase CPCs. PPC experts fear it will erode SERP quality, pushing advertisers toward Demand Gen campaigns.

📺Google is expanding Display Ads to major platforms like FOX News, MLB, and TelevisaUnivision, increasing reach across news, sports, and gaming. Demand Gen campaigns now integrate Google Display Network, driving a 16% conversion boost.

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