Breaking Through the Marketing Noise

Generated by Jeff Nelson using ChatGPT

The Attention Economy: A Marketing Nightmare

In 2025, every business, from a small operation in rural Alberta to a global Fortune 500 company, faces the same fundamental challenge: attention is a scarce resource. You’re not just competing with rivals; you're competing with a constant stream of content, notifications, and distractions.

At one time, buying an ad on Google or Facebook gave you a clear advantage. Today, those channels are like very crowded highways. Traffic is slow, progress is expensive, and you’re just one car among millions.

So, what has happened, and more importantly, what can businesses do to break through the noise?

Why Marketing Channels Feel So Crowded

The feeling of being overwhelmed isn't just a hunch; it's the result of several powerful trends converging.

The Low Barrier to Entry

Platforms like Meta and Google have made it incredibly easy to launch an ad campaign. This democratization is a double-edged sword: it empowers small businesses but also floods the marketplace with countless competing voices. This is why a new channel, like TikTok in 2019, can go from a wide-open frontier to a saturated marketplace in just a few years.

The Algorithm Arms Race

Algorithms are designed to maximize engagement and revenue for the platform, not for your business. As a result, organic reach consistently declines, and paid reach becomes more expensive. Businesses are locked in an endless cycle of bidding against each other just to get seen. For example, in 2024, 86% of industries saw higher CPCs compared to the previous year, with an average jump of about 10% year-over-year. That means even if your campaigns are optimized, you’re paying more for the same visibility you had a year ago.

The Content Explosion

Every company is now a publisher: blogs, videos, podcasts, etc. The volume of content being produced is staggering, but the number of hours in a day has stayed the same. It's a classic supply and demand problem.

According to Letter.ly, more than 7 million blog posts are published every day. How many of those actually get read? Very few. Most of them simply sink into digital obscurity.

The Copycat Effect

When a tactic works for one brand, others are quick to copy it. This creates a flood of sameness: endless LinkedIn carousels, identical Instagram reels, and predictable email subject lines. The tactic that was fresh and effective yesterday gets diluted and loses its punch tomorrow.

Smaller Field of View

Recently, I was watching The West Wing, the White House drama which debuted in 1999. (I had difficulty writing that last sentence.)

They are reading NEWSPAPERS (made from trees) and looking at OLD CLUNKY COMPUTER MONITORS (there is not a laptop in sight).

Unbelievable.

Now, everyone is hunched over a mobile phone. The world has shifted to very small screens.

The Impact on Businesses

The consequences of this overcrowding are clear:

• Rising Costs: Paid advertising requires larger budgets to deliver the same results.

• Audience Fatigue: Consumers are bombarded, leading to ad blindness, fatigue, and skepticism.

• Shorter Shelf Life: A strong tactic today may be outdated in six months.

In short, the marketing treadmill is speeding up, and many businesses feel like they're running just to stay in place.

What Can You Do Differently?

Winning in this new environment isn't about being everywhere or being the loudest.

It’s about being strategic and meaningful.

1. Differentiate at the Strategy Level

Create a strong, unique brand story that cuts through the noise. For example, Manmade Brand didn’t succeed because they used social media ads (plenty of others did too). They succeeded because their brand was built on a clear mission: to create a "Guy Brand" that focuses on the best interests of its customers. This mission-driven approach to creating a better everyday product is what truly differentiates them.

2. Choose Fewer Channels, and Go Deeper

You don't need to be everywhere. Identify the two or three channels where your ideal audience actually spends time and invest deeply there. For example, BMM Mechanical, a rural plumbing business, gets far more value from optimizing their Google Business Profile than from launching a flashy TikTok ad campaign

Screenshot by Jeff Nelson from Google Maps

3. Invest in Owned Assets

Algorithms change, platforms rise and fall, but assets you own (your website, email list, and customer database) are stable and within your control. For example, Replicon, a company founded in Calgary in 1996, has built trust and visibility over many years in competitive markets. Their success is built on being "chosen" and "preferred" by customers globally, not on chasing the latest social media trend.

4. Seek Out Niche Opportunities

While big brands dominate mainstream platforms, smaller communities often have less competition and higher trust. This could be a neighbourhood Facebook group, an industry-specific Slack channel, or an in-person networking event.

Sunterra Market, a family-owned agri-food company in Alberta, differentiates itself by controlling its entire food chain, from farm to retail. While the broader Instagram market is crowded, their local and community-focused approach gives them a unique advantage.

5. Focus on Relationships, Not Just Reach

In a noisy marketplace, trust is your most valuable currency. Word-of-mouth referrals and a strong reputation take longer to build, but they last far longer than any single campaign. According to Nielsen research, 92% of consumers trust referrals from people they know more than any form of advertising.

Looking Ahead

It’s tempting to chase the next shiny platform, but history shows they will eventually become crowded too. The real differentiator will always be a clear message, strong relationships, and the ability to adapt. The winners won't be the loudest or the ones spending the most. They will be the companies who deliver meaningful messages in the right places.

If you’re feeling the pressure of overcrowded marketing channels, let’s talk about building a smarter strategy. You can cut through the noise and create marketing that actually works.