HEY! Give me your attention!

We’ve talked about how difficult it is to break through the clutter and actually get someone’s attention.  Sometimes it’s easier to understand when you see it.  Invest the 30 seconds and watch. 

You’ll be thinking about that all day, eh?

Hat tip to Seth for sharing this.

14 comments on “HEY! Give me your attention!

  1. Wow, I can’t believe that! How did I miss— well, I won’t spoil the surprise for others. That was eye opening. Thanks, Drew.

  2. Tammy Lenski says:

    Hi, Drew –

    Great video update of an old study involving a videotape and a gorilla. I wrote about it here:

    http://lenski.com/dont-miss-the-gorilla/

    The YouTube version makes the study re-accessible to the social media crowd, which is terrific!

  3. Jeff Gwynne says:

    This shows what the mind can do (and filter)when it is truly focused. But, what if the bear was wearing a reflective triangle that cyclists wear?

  4. Ok, so I was tricked too. I want to know: if I’d been asked to watch for the white team’s passes AND the bear, could I have done it? Hmmm…. This is a keeper, Drew. Thanks for sharing.

  5. lazymale says:

    Amazing! I wonder if there is anyone who can actually count and notice at the same time. If so, that is someone who is really sharp and attentive.

    I guess we are concentrating so much on the ball that anything happenning “without a bang” is invisible.

    Thanks Drew! Great Stuff!

  6. Scott,

    I know…when I watched it for the first time, I didn’t believe that I had missed anything. So I re-started the video and voila…boy had I!

    Drew

  7. Tammy,

    Yes, I had seen a mention of an earlier study. Pretty cool what these social media tools allow us to share/do, isn’t it?

    Drew

  8. Jeff,

    That’s an interesting question. How much of it was tied to the similarity of colors. Either way, the marketing analogy works.

    It’s a fascinating psych study, I think.

    Drew

  9. Shirley,

    Sure…then the results would have been different. But…the whole point (mine anyway) was to remind us all how hard marketing tactics need to work, if they’re going to grab someone’s attention.

    Tough job, for sure!

    Drew

  10. Hey there Lazy,

    I think it’s like one of those “see the picture inside the picture” sorts of things. You can’t see it initially but once it is pointed out, you can’t miss it. Even when you try.

    Drew

  11. Drew,
    An amazing video indeed!! It really makes you think about everything you may be missing on a daily basis! Tunnel vision maybe? Or just a lack of awareness? thanks for a great eye opener!

  12. Eric,

    A good reminder to us that “earning” someone’s attention is no small task.

    Drew

  13. Faris says:

    It’s a fantastic piece of film – but over in the UK it has caused some controversy due to the ‘inspiration’ from the psychology film –

    http://farisyakob.typepad.com/blog/2008/03/spotted.html

    http://scampblog.blogspot.com/2008/03/dothetestgate-day-2.html

    The originality debate rages on 😉

    FX

  14. Faris,

    Never a dull moment in the blogosphere — eh?

    Drew

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