The Eclipse Had Everyone Looking Up. What Does That Mean for Brands?
The eclipse offers marketers something increasingly rare: people choosing to pay attention.
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Millions of people across the UK and Europe looked to the sky on 12 August as a solar eclipse crossed the region. Totality was visible in parts of Spain, Iceland, Greenland and Portugal, while the UK saw a deep partial eclipse.
People gathered to watch, travelled to viewing spots and shared photos and videos across social media. It was a rare moment when people’s attention was in one place. That makes the eclipse interesting from a business perspective.
Brands are competing for attention across social media, streaming platforms, email, advertising and increasingly AI generated content. Getting people to stop scrolling and engage has become a bigger challenge.
The eclipse didn’t need an advertising campaign to get people interested. It was a one off event, happening at a specific time, and people knew they could miss it. Brands have been trying to create that same sense of occasion through live events, product launches, pop ups and limited releases. The difference is that an eclipse cannot be bought, targeted or repeated. It simply happened, and people wanted to watch.
As businesses look for new ways to stand out, the response to the eclipse offers a timely example of something marketers have always wanted: people choosing to pay attention.
Millions of people across the UK and Europe looked to the sky on 12 August as a solar eclipse crossed the region. Totality was visible in parts of Spain, Iceland, Greenland and Portugal, while the UK saw a deep partial eclipse.
People gathered to watch, travelled to viewing spots and shared photos and videos across social media. It was a rare moment when people’s attention was in one place. That makes the eclipse interesting from a business perspective.
Brands are competing for attention across social media, streaming platforms, email, advertising and increasingly AI generated content. Getting people to stop scrolling and engage has become a bigger challenge.
The eclipse didn’t need an advertising campaign to get people interested. It was a one off event, happening at a specific time, and people knew they could miss it. Brands have been trying to create that same sense of occasion through live events, product launches, pop ups and limited releases. The difference is that an eclipse cannot be bought, targeted or repeated. It simply happened, and people wanted to watch.
As businesses look for new ways to stand out, the response to the eclipse offers a timely example of something marketers have always wanted: people choosing to pay attention.
