Paid Attention by Faris Yakob Summary
Overview of Paid Attention
In "Paid Attention," advertising maverick Faris Yakob redefines how brands capture our increasingly scarce attention. Why do industry leaders consider this the post-AIDA manifesto? Because in today's digital chaos, authentic connection - not interruption - drives success. Your marketing playbook needs this revolution.
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Key takeaways
The Attention Economy: Why Your Focus Is the New Currency
In a world where the average person sees 5,000 advertisements daily but remembers virtually none, attention has become our most precious and limited resource. The very word "advertising" comes from Latin advetere - "to turn towards" - literally drawing attention to something. While our digital landscape has exploded exponentially (by 2010, humans were creating as much content every two days as we had from civilization's dawn until 2003), our cognitive bandwidth remains stubbornly finite. This scarcity makes attention incredibly valuable. Every commercial communication attempts to influence mass opinion and purchase behavior by changing how others' brains operate. The most successful ideas in history, like the golden rule, succeed because they're concise, memorable, and work across contexts. Attention itself behaves like water - liquid, directional, channeled - creating a "spotlight" effect that causes inattentional blindness where we fail to notice things outside our focus. This limitation forms the foundation of advertising's endless race for our limited mental bandwidth.
Brands as Modern Mythology: Stories That Shape Reality
The Irrational Power of Brand Preference
The Hidden Persuaders: Why We Don't Know Why We Do What We Do
From Interruption to Value: How Advertising Must Evolve
Recombinant Creativity: The Art of Stealing Well
From Content to Action: The New Brand Imperative
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"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
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