Mindfulness: Combatting the Attention Deficit

02 MINDFULNESS: COMBAT TING THE AT TENTION DEFICIT To what extent can mindfulness combat the impacts of the attention economy?

Rosie Barr

Strategic and Creative Solutions

N0569443

Research Project Stage 1

FMBR30001

FMBR30001: PROJEC T DECLARATION This submission is the result of my own work. All help and advice other than that received from tutors has been acknowledged and primary and secondary sources of information have been properly attributed.

Should this statement prove to be untrue I recognise the right and duty of the board of examiners to recommend what action should be taken in line with the University’s regulations on assessment contained in its handbook. signed .............................................................. print name ……………………………………………………………….. date .................................................................

Research Project: Stage 1

RESEARCH REPOR T STAGE 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS Section 1

| Introduction

Section 2

| Rationale

Section 3

| Literature Review

Section 4

| Aims & Objectives

Section 5

| Methodology

Section 6

| Findings & Discussion

Section 7

| Insights & Opportunities

Section 8

| Conclusion

Section 9

| References & Bibliography

Section 10

| Appendix

INTRODUC TION The ‘attention economy’ is an increasingly recognised term in modern business, also known as ‘attention economics’. The phrase refers to an approach to the management of information, in an age of information pollution, that treats human attention as a commodity in short supply. As information has become increasingly abundant and available, human attention has become the limiting factor in the consumption of this content, as summed up by Matthew Crawford: “Attention is a resource - a person only has so much of it.” (Crawford, 2015).

Mass dispersion of undesirable information can have a detrimental effect on human activities. As early as 2009, Jasper Doomen penned academic research on the matter in his Journal of Information Ethics, largely blaming the internet (Doomen, 2009), a sentiment more recently confirmed by a new study at the University of Texas which found that a person’s cognitive capacity is significantly reduced when their smartphone is in reach - even it it’s off - which they referred to as the “brain drain” (Ward et al, 2017). In addition to this, a study into human attention found that the average attention span has fallen from

Section 1

12 seconds to 8 seconds in the last 15 years, possibly due to the increasing demands on an average adults daily attention (MacMaster, 2016).

An accumulation of the pressures of modern life and the information pollution that the average person is subjected to is fuelling the health and wellbeing industry. However, a shifting trend in wellness is the movement from solely working on the body, to tackling the focus deficit by nurturing the mind. Modern theories on mindfulness range from consumers fostering mind wandering to minimalism, and from brands understanding the art of silence to designing for happiness. Setting the framework for modern mindfulness is the traditional Buddhist practice.

Mindfulness has a long spiritual past and short secular history, based on Buddhist teachings and principles. Robert Scharf addresses the development of contemporary understanding of mindfulness as it occurred over recent years. With the rise of “Buddhist modernism,” he claims that the practice has become less about the transformative power of experiencing suffering (or dukkha) and more about using meditation and

mindfulness practices as a therapeutic means to enrich one’s emotional life (Scharf, 2013).

Nevertheless, the Buddhist philosophy of mindfulness lays the foundation for contemporary practises that have derived from the ideology, subsequently being utilised by consumers and brands alike to tackle the attention economy. As consumers strive to harness the power of their minds, the question which this body of research aims to answer is: To what extent can mindfulness combat the impacts of the attention economy?

In a world in which attention is a scarce resource, the importance of this research is paramount to recapture consumer focus. In order to thoroughly answer this question, an array of literature will be considered and analysed, identifying vital gaps to fill. Primary research will then be discussed to close these gaps in knowledge and understanding, thus offering valuable insight into the future of the industry. Finally, future opportunities will be presented, forming an informed springboard for stage 2 of this research project.

RATIONALE Academic research into mindfulness has been conducted in relation to brand marketing, consumer culture and the psychology behind the modern day need to escape.

From a business perspective, Lisa Nirell - author of The Mindful Marketer and chief energy officer at the consultancy EnergizeGrowth - argues that the multitasking, attention-splitting nature of marketing is actually killing the industry.

Her book looks at the price marketers pay for working in this chaotic environment and how the meditative ideal of mindfulness can help.

Furthermore, focusing on the issue from the perspective of the consumer, it is clear that an abundance of marketing is not only causing users to divert their attention, but it actively making them unhappy. A study by Time Well Spent which tracked user happiness versus time spent on a particular app found a strong correlation between time spent on social media and user unhappiness, the study further indicated a consumer desire to switch off from digital media and focus on personal happiness.

During an LSN Global: Future Laboratory presentation, research on the global embracement of ‘Mindfulness’ developing from the Health and Wellbeing trend was discussed, citing a rise of “general anxiety about the state of the world” and consumer desire to escape which is therefore feeding the wellness industry.

Following the global attention on mindfulness; University of Auckland psychology Professor, Michael Corballis, penned The Wandering Mind: What the Brain Does When You’re Not Looking in

support of the notion that consumers needed to “[mentally] escape the here and now” in order to adapt to modern day life; Corballis explains and suggests harnessing the power of mind-wandering to free consumers from moment-to-moment drudgery and strengthen imagination.

Drawing on a more traditional sense of mindfulness, within academic journal ‘Research in Human Development’, is a study on the impact of mindfulness training on the behaviour of primary students with attentiondeficit/hyperactive disorder. The behaviour of four 8 year old boys was monitored over a period of weeks as they were taught traditional Buddhist mindfulness techniques such as meditation; graphic analysis of observation data indicated that the intervention was effective in increasing the percentage of intervals of on-task behaviour (Carboni et al, 2003). This insight into how mindfulness can be used to influence subconscious behaviour patterns strongly suggests an opportunity to use a similar premise on a mass scale in the context of consumers.

Despite the extensive established research on the attention economy and mindfulness, independently, there is a gap for the exploration into the correlation of trends in consumers - specifically in the context of reversing the attention deficit and gaining autonomy of personal attention. Further research into this correlation has the potential to recapture consumer attention in an innovative, modern way.

Section 2

LITERATURE RE VIE W In order to critically analyse secondary research, a literature review has been undertaken to present and synthesise the current knowledge on which this research project has been based. This foundation of knowledge will establish the framework for the methodology, define key terms and definitions and identify studies which support the topic; therefore identifying gaps in this knowledge and providing insights for further research.

Psychological Consequences of Digital Technology According to a study by Time Well Spent, the more time mobile users spend on an app the more unhappy they will become. The study found that, on average, comparing between “Happy” and “Unhappy” amount of usage of the same apps, “[users] unhappy amount of time is 2.4x the amount of happy time” (Time Well Spent, 2017). While this sample has a selection bias of those who care to install the Time Well Spent app to track their social media usage, this hypothesis is mirrored by researchers at the University of Texas who claim that the constant presence of a mobile phone has a brain drain effect that signally reduces people’s intelligence and attention spans. Their experiment asserted that, with nearly 800 smartphone users, people had less ability to complete tasks when they had their smartphones nearby - even when they’re not using them. (Bos et al, 2017) Professor Adrian Ward reports “Your conscious mind isn’t thinking about your smartphone, but that process — the process of requiring yourself to not think about something — uses up some of your limited cognitive resources. It’s a brain drain.” (Bos et al, 2017) This stance also offers a valuable insight into why users may be becoming unhappy as they spend more time on their smartphone.

This could be considered further by gaining an understanding into whether the user has an awareness of Section 3

these problems in themselves.

A group of Professors at Georgia State University undertook a thought provoking study investigating the effects of mindfulness training on the behaviour of four 8-yearold boys with attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder.

Graphic analysis of observation data indicated that “the intervention was effective in increasing the percentage of intervals of on-task behaviour” (Carboni et al, 2013). This is insightful for the purpose of this study as it is evident that the principles of mindfulness can be applied to combat attention deficit, however the principles need to be commercially adapted. Further research will indicate if there is a consumer desire to be more mindful, and how these practices can be transformed on a commercial scale.

Post-Truth Economy An additional viewpoint for the move toward mindfulness is that the age of post-truth politics is feeding a consumer desire to ‘switch off’ from the digital bombardment of today’s political climate. In 2008, Associate Professor Clay Shirky argued that humans are suffering from ‘Filter Failure’, where the mind loses the capacity to distinguish between useless and irrelevant information (Shirky, 2008). Since Shirky coined this term, the awareness of posttruth politics has risen dramatically and consequently consumer trust in society has decreased. Virginia Gewin contends that the term ‘posttruth’ is now a “mainstay in political

discourse, its use firmly established in any analysis of the European Union referendum result and the outcome of the US presidential election”. (Gewin, 2017) Gewin suggests that there are wider implications of the post-truth economy outside of politics, posing the question “How can scientists get through to a public that’s seemingly indifferent to objective facts?” (Gewin, 2017) Gewin maintains that scientists must “bridge divides” and “show that you care”, offering valuable insight into this research as societal figures show that they bear some responsibility in recapturing consumer attention and trust in order to combat wider global implications. It is not the scientific community which has fuelled the post-truth economy. Further research into this topic may delve into the question: Whose responsibility is it to rebuild consumer trust in society.

Conversely, it could be argued that brands and corporations should be taking on this responsibility.

Researchers at University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy developed a theoretical model tested in two studies with adult consumers, explaining consumer anti-brand activism. The model shows that brands and their parent company’s moral misconducts, once learned and evaluated by consumers, induce “hateful feelings that, in their turn, motivate consumers to adopt antibrand behaviours.” (Romani et al, 2015). In order to develop this research, further exploration must be

undertaken to give an insight into how brands can regain consumer trust.

Changes Within Consumer Engagement in Marketing ‘Amusing Ourselves to Death’ by Neil Postman is widely considered the first book to consider the way that electronic media shapes modern culture. Postman suggests a prophetic look at what happens when politics, journalism, education and even religion become subject to the demands of entertainment - offering a blueprint for regaining control of the media. Arguing that the written word is “not merely an echo of a speaking voice…a conjurer’s trick of first order” and frequently referencing a consumer “addiction to entertainment” (Postman, 1987), Postman’s opinion continues to mirror modern society over 20 years after its first publication. This historical stance on the entertainment industry offers a valuable insight that there may have always been a general concern about consumers of contemporary technology, however, there is a new gap to explore in the recent emergence of consumers choosing or intending to disengage.

Further exploring the notion of capturing total customer engagement value, researchers from University of Rotterdam suggest that consumers engagement can create value for firms in a variety of ways, proposing that assessing the value of customers based solely upon their transactions with a brand may not be sufficient and valuing this engagement correct is crucial invading undervaluation of customers (Aksoy et al, 2010).

The researchers put forward four components of a customer’s engagement value (CEV) with a brand: customer lifetime value (their purchase behaviour), customer referral value (incentivised referral of new customers), customer influencer value (behaviour to influence other customers), and customer knowledge value (feedback of the customer).

(Aksoy, 2010) The CEV model provides a framework that can ultimately lead to more efficient marketing strategies with more engaged and valued longterm customers. However, once a

brand has identified a customer’s value, further research may be required to identify where or how to build a meaningful relationship with a consumer that is actively trying to switch off and disengage.

The Value and Understanding of Mindfulness Contemporary mindfulness has rapidly grown in popularity in recent years. Researchers from University of Washington argue that this rapid growth has raised two main concerns from the Buddhist community: “the accuracy of the teachings and the impact of not explicitly including ethics as part of the teachings” (Monteiro et al, 2014). This insight provides a valuable gap for further exploration of what ‘mindfulness’ really is and what it means to consumers. In her book ‘A Mindfulness Guide for the Frazzled’, Ruby Wax contends that mindfulness is a scientific solution to our modern problems. She specifies that her definition of mindfulness isn’t about “sitting erect on a hillock, legs in a knot, humming a mantra” but “learning to notice your thoughts and feelings so you can truly experience life” (Wax, 2016). Wax’s self-help guide may be unapologetically casual and lack actual scientific evidence to support her claims, however it does allow a new way to consider mindfulness - moving away from Buddhist teachings and using the basic principles of mindful awareness in a new context.

Contrastingly, Lisa Nirell claims that contemporary mindfulness should even be used by marketers within brands, suggesting that this is the answer to increasing demands and workload. By applying traditional mindfulness principles, Lisa points the way toward a “middle path between mindfulness and market acceleration” (Nirell, 2014). As a commercial book, Nirell’s contemporary mindfulness for marketing may simply be a product of the mindfulness trend, however, it poses the question of how far the concept can be adapted to fit a consumer’s personal interpretation, therefore inviting further research about what mindfulness really is and whether the answer is completely subjective.

Attention Autonomy Professor of Psychology, Michael Corballis, outlines his research of cognitive science and evolutionary biology suggesting that mindfulness could be embraced by fostering mindwandering in order to encourage creativity and forward planning.

Corballis argues that mindlessness not only frees consumers from moment-to-moment drudgery, but also from the limitations of our immediate selves; he explains that human tendency to wander back and forth through the timeline of our lives is fundamental to our very sense of ourselves as coherent, continuing personalities (Corballis, 2015). Corballis’ defence of inattention captures the developing trend of mindfulness through harbouring mind-wandering, tapping into the anti-corporate movement amongst Generation Y and offering a fresh take on combatting the attention deficit by users taking autonomy of their own attention in a different way.

Corballis’ argument for the relevance of mind-wandering is opposed in Georges Dreyfus’ 2011 academic article discussing the cognitive dimensions of mindfulness. Dreyfus contends that the standard definition of mindfulness in psychology misses some of the central features in the practise as described by classical Buddhist accounts, which present mindfulness as being “relevant to the past as well as to the present” therefore showing that the central feature of mindfulness is the capacity to hold sustained attention (Dreyfus, 2011). Although Dreyfus’ definition of mindfulness stays true to classical Buddhist accounts, he does conclude that this modern description may be useful as an operational definition intended for practical instruction (Dreyfus, 2011). This conclusion offers valuable insight for further research, suggesting that moving away from traditional Buddhist practices and following a personalised, modern form of mindfulness may be more beneficial for the contemporary consumer to develop their own attention autonomy.

RESEARCH AIM & OBJEC TIVES To achieve the aim of exploring the relationship between mindfulness and the attention economy the following SMART objectives have been derived from gaps in current research, ensuring a full and thorough investigation of all possible future business opportunities.

These objectives provide a clear foundation upon which this research project is designed and also form the basis and structure of the report; their analysis and discussion will provide subsequent insights for further exploration in stage 2 of the project.

Section 4

Investigate psychological consequences of digital technology engagement on Generation Y and Generation Z, exploring: Social interaction Academic performance Mental health

Measure the impact of the post-truth economy on Generation Y and Gen Z, focusing on: Brand engagement Attitudes toward society and corporations

Identify the effects of these changes within the marketing landscape - particularly regarding consumer engagement.

To explore why there is a value on mindfulness and whether consumers or brands are pushing the trend.

Investigate what mindfulness is; exploring healthy eating, mindlessness and controlled meditation.

Measure to what extent the practice of mindfulness can give consumers autonomy over their attention focus toward brands.

Revise the changes to the marketing landscape and evaluate the future of attention in marketing.

ME THODOLOGY Following extensive secondary research analysis - providing a foundation of knowledge and understanding on the topic of mindfulness - aims and objectives have been identified.

Secondary research was advantageous within this study as it provided context and allowed for comparison with data collected by the researcher, therefore permitting triangulation of findings thus increasing the generalisability of conclusions (Saunders et al, 2012). However, with a lack of control of data quality and bias of data presentation, there are limitations to the secondary research available; thus a critical approach was taken when evaluating data to ensure credibility.

The identified gaps in secondary research and formation of objectives for further study into specific areas will

Quantitative Research:

Qualitative Research:

Online Survey

Case Studies

Quantitative research was carried out in the form of an online questionnaire in order to gain a broad foundation of understanding from a wide range of demographics, determining what proportion of the audience has certain attitudes and knowledge related to the mindfulness trend.

This was an advantageous method of research as it allowed a sizeable collection of data in a timely manner, allowing easy comparison of findings; however, it is important to note that quantitative research does not always shed light on the full complexity of human experience or perceptions.

An inductive approach to qualitative consumer case studies was used to provide an in depth understanding of data collected in the online questionnaire, also allowing different viewpoints of information concerning consumer opinions, attitudes and behaviour. A discussion was convened through in-depth face-to-face interviews in the participants home, maximising their comfort and honesty value in their natural environment. A somewhat unstructured discussion meant that the right questions for the participants could be naturally developed based on participants responses, rather than an in a predetermined order.

Opportunity sampling was utilised to select samples from the research populations: Generation Z, Generation Y (split into upper and lower) and Generation X. Generation Z and Generation Y had been selected to study as they are digital natives that have suffered the effects of the attention economy, therefore being most likely to show an interest in the mindfulness industry and the most desirable groups for brands. Generation X were studied for comparative purposes. With each age group (13-17, 18-24, 25-34, 34+) consisting of a sample of 100 participants, a statistically sound and representable data for each demographic was produced. However, it must be acknowledged that the gender of participants is unspecified and therefore the findings are not generalisable in that respect, making it difficult at this stage to provide a true representation of a target demographic for stage 2 of the research project.

Section 5

be explored following a multi-method design, also increasing reliability and validity of research through the process of triangulation. Data and knowledge discussed in the Literature Review (Section 4) informed the design of an online questionnaire, providing a range of quantitative information to be explored.

In order to expand and elaborate on initial findings, qualitative case studies were undertaken in the form of one-to-one interviews with the aim of gaining a deep and robust understanding behind the conscious consumer’s thought process in relation to mindfulness.

This strategy of sequential exploration allowed for the creation of statistically sound empirical data to inform insights and recommendations for stage 2.

Due to the lack of distinction between male and female candidates in quantitative research, the case studies consisted of one Generation Y male and one Generation Y female; specifically from the lower Generation Y category (18-24) as their survey results presented the most promise to buy into the mindfulness industry through an understanding and interest in the mindfulness trend.

Although qualitative research is often a much smaller sample than quantitative, the use of only 2 case studies may offer less flexibility in generalising findings to a broader audience. However, the insights found in these case studies will be discussed against quantitative data findings in order to provide valid insights and recommendations for stage 2 of the research project.

FINDINGS & DISCUSSION Quantitative and qualitative data accumulated from an online questionnaire and consumer case studies has been categorised based on the research objectives presented in Aims and Objectives, Section 5. This will provide a clear structure for discussion and insight for further exploration.

Investigate psychological consequences of digital technology engagement on Generation Y and Generation Z In order to investigate the psychological consequences of digital technology engagement on Generation Y and Generation Z, key questions were taken into consideration: How often do participants check their phone every day? Is this reducing their attention span? Are participants aware of their digital technology engagement levels? How does this compare to previous generations?

In a recent psychology study, Dr Richard House found that the average person checks their phone 85 times per day (Gregoire, 2015). In order to evaluate a whether consumers are aware of their digital technology habits, participants were asked ‘How many times a day do you think you check your phone?’. The vast majority of participants estimated 20-30 or 30-40 times, however a significant number of lower Generation Y (ages 18-24) estimated that they check their phone 90 times a day, therefore indicating more of an awareness of their digital habits than any other category.

Additionally, the online questionnaire found that the vast majority of Generation Y and Generation Z participants agreed with the statement “I often get distracted when I am trying to concentrate on something important”, with the most significant figure also in the lower Generation Y category with 85% in agreement. This provides a crucial insight for further research as it is evident that lower Generation Y participants are more

aware that they are checking their mobile device at every opportunity throughout the day and that they have a low attention span when carrying out important tasks; combined with secondary research which suggested that spending a significant amount of time on mobile apps may cause unhappiness (Time Well Spent, 2017), this may be the age category which mindfulness will be most marketable to.

that she believes industry laws must allow for brands to commit to a certain amount of their public promises in order to “brand themselves as such… the industry wants them to thrive so they would make it so they can do that”. Palmer indicated a large amount of distrust toward both corporations and the governing bodies behind them, passionately explaining her belief that brand promises “all [stem] back to money”.

Measure the impact of the post-truth economy on Generation Y and Generation Z

Male participant in the qualitative case study, Richard Mays, shared a similar view toward brand promises.

Mays explained that he feels “the promises are not as good as they read sometimes”, adding that when brands make promises that do not represent their core brand values it “devalues the promise”.

Question 3 of the survey aimed to gain a general overview of the posttruth economy and anti-corporate movement within the participants; the survey found that a significant majority of all age categories answered ‘Moderate trust’ or ‘Not a lot of trust’ to the question ‘How much do you trust the information you read online?’. The survey also asked ‘Do you think it is a brand’s responsibility to gain your trust?’; the majority of all age groups answering ‘Yes’, with an average of 87%. These answers indicate that the impact of the post-truth economy has not only significantly affected Generation Y and Generation Z, but the older Generation X too - suggesting that participants think brands should be taking responsibility.

In order to analyse this data further and gain a qualitative insight, case study participants were asked to talk about how they feel about brand promises.

Female participant, Sophie Palmer (aged 21) categorically answered that she does not find it easy to trust brand promises. The participant suggested

The collected data confirms a strong distrust toward corporations and brands, however participants do believe that it is a brand’s responsibility to gain consumer trust and push social change. Building on the quantitative data, case study interviews found that to gain consumer trust it may take more than industry regulations, but for brands to dedicate their core values to take corporate responsibility and push social change.

Identify the effects of these changes within the marketing landscape - focusing on consumer engagement A key point to take into consideration within regard to this objective was whether consumers felt attachment and loyalty to brands now compared to older generations, subsequently exploring what compels consumers to Section 6

be loyal to a brand. Due to an earlier identified anti-brand movement, it was assumed that Generation Y and Generation Z would not be as loyal to a particular brand as Generation X. However, surprising results found that the majority of all generations agreed with the statement “I am loyal to my favourite brands and often buy their products”, with an average of 78% answering ‘Agree’.

Further exploring this data, case study participants were asked to reflect on brands that they buy into. Female participant, Miss Palmer, suggested that her focus on mindfulness effects a wide range of her life choices including what brands she is willing support. Due to her lack of trust in brand promises, Palmer has certain ethical brands that she is loyal to; a vital ethical criteria that a brand must meet for her to buy into it, is that their products must be vegan as she believes that “ you can’t truly be mindful without being vegan”.

Moreover, this sentiment was shared

by Richard Mays, although as an unemployed graduate he admits that he “[chooses] to be a bit blind to it” sometimes.

This data revealed that despite the anti-brand movement and post-truth economy, consumers are nevertheless still loyal to their favourite brands.

Further research indicated that core brand values were vitally important in gaining consumer trust and loyalty, but once the relationship is built it is relatively secure. This provides an insight into what compels consumers to buy into a brand, particularly with consumers that value mindfulness and brand ethics. There is a strong focus on a brand sharing the same core values as the consumer, with consumers perhaps viewing the brands they buy into as an extension of themselves.

Investigate what Mindfulness is and explore why there is a value on the trend In order to explore the consumer value on mindfulness and what consumers associate with mindfulness, it was important to gain an understanding of what participants believe mindfulness to be. When asked “What does the Section 6

term ‘Mindfulness’ mean to you?”, survey participants gave a wide range of answers. Generation Z participants tended to use phrases such as “being focussed” and “being careful”, whereas lower Generation Y participants used words such as “peaceful” and “calm”.

Upper Generation Y also related mindfulness back to “relaxation” and “peace”, and Generation X used phrases such as “being thoughtful” and “taking consideration”. However, across all age groups, the words “awareness” and “being aware” were consistent.

Subsequent to understanding consumer associations with the term ‘mindfulness’, case study participants were also asked to discuss the term.

Palmer defined mindfulness as “An awareness and use of your reason”, and Mays responded “To be conscious of other people’s feelings, be conscious of the Earth and society as a whole… being thoughtful and aware and considerate”. In her discussion, Palmer explained that she was raised to practise meditation with her Buddhist Father every night, thinking about “what I’m grateful for and centre myself”. Palmer also discussed how yoga and sport are forms of practicing mindfulness for her, claiming “you can’t be good or bad at being mindful, it’s personal”.

The findings signify a wide range of definitions and understanding in relation to mindfulness, however consistently relating back to awareness and consideration. There is a strong suggestion that mindfulness means much more to participants than the traditional Buddhist practices, but centring oneself and having an awareness of the outside world. This insight offers a new perspective on mindfulness in a more commercial sense as it moves away from the traditional and becomes integrated in consumers day to day lives.

Measure to what extent the practice of mindfulness can give consumers autonomy over their attention focus toward brands In measuring the extent to which consumers may use mindfulness to gain autonomy of their own attention,

a key point to take into consideration was whether consumers actually wanted to have control or whether they want brands to capture and push their attention in an ethical direction.

The vast majority of all age categories answered “Yes” to the question ‘Do you think it is a brand’s responsibility to gain your trust?’ - including 96% of lower Generation Y. Furthermore, when asked to agree or disagree with the statement “I would like to spend more time focusing on my personal happiness”, a large majority of all questionnaire participants agreed, including 100% of lower Generation Y. Delving further into this data, female case study participant, Miss Palmer, discussed how her mindful life choices impact what brands she is willing to buy into; stating that she goes out of her way to ensure a basic knowledge on brands that she buys from, with use of smartphone applications such as ‘Cruelty Cutter’ to help her. Male participant, Mays, puts forth a similar view, adding “if it [an ethical brand] was in my face and they showed me: ‘This brand does this and this brand does that, are you willing to pay an extra 50%?’ Then, I would pay an extra 50%”. Mays claims that he also looks for the cruelty free/vegan signs on products such as foods and household items.

Taking into account the anticorporate movement, this data is very interesting as the majority of all generations agreed that it is a brand’s responsibility to gain consumer trust - suggesting that consumers do want brands to be more ethical and honest in their advertising. Further qualitative research strongly indicated that consumers do care about the core values of a brand and the ingredients that go into their products, and that mindful consumers truly value brands that have a sound moral compass.

INSIGHTS & OPPOR TUNITIES Evaluation of primary and secondary research has identified some key insights; these insights will form the foundation of stage 2 of this research project in regards to target market and consumer needs.

1. Lower Generation Y (ages 18-24) have the highest awareness of mindfulness and their digital habits out of the age categories studied.

This demographic were aware that they were checking their phone excessive times throughout an average day and that they have a low attention span when attempting to carry out important tasks. This awareness also makes them most susceptible and likely to want to digitally switch themselves off.

2. The majority of participants demonstrated a serious lack of trust in brand promises - aligning with the contemporary anti-brand movement.

However, participants also indicated a want for brands to gain their trust. Research indicated that this will take more than just industry regulations, as the post-truth economy runs deep within consumers and public trust is increasingly hard for brands to gain, consumers are demonstrating as much lack of trust in official governing bodies as they are in businesses themselves.

3. Once consumer trust has been obtained by a brand, research indicates that consumers are likely to be loyal to this brand. Core brand values are vitally important in gaining trust and attention, however, once a foundation has been built it is likely to be relatively secure. Consumers are beginning to see the brands that they buy into as an extension of their own personal values, thus brands must align with these values in order to hold a consumer’s attention.

4. Although there is a wide range in understanding of what mindfulness is, there is a mass appreciation that, fundamentally, mindfulness often relates back to awareness and consideration. Overall, the research indicates that modern mindfulness is personal and subjective; as opposed to the traditional Buddhist practices, mindfulness is now more integrated into consumers’ day to day lives.

The research has not indicated a desire to take part in traditional mindful activities, but to make consumers’ every day activities more mindful.

5. Marketing practices must evolve in the face of the mindfulness trend as consumers are now looking for honest, transparent advertising from companies built upon sincere and ethical grounds. With use of smartphone applications such as Cruelty Cutter, consumers are going out of their way to make mindful purchasing decisions.

However, there is a strong desire for truly ethical companies with ethical core values to stand out from a crowd of brands making (presumed) false promises.

These insights provide evidence of a consumer desire for brands to be more ethical, so that consumers can feel more mindful. With a lack of trust in brands and corporations but a desire for brands to prove themselves, there is an opportunity for brands to gain consumer attention with use of sincerely ethical core values that are made clear to the consumer with honest advertising, particularly targeting the 18-24 age group.

Section 7

Conclusion To conclude, the aim of this study was to explore the relationship between mindfulness and the attention economy, investigating how far mindfulness practices can combat the attention deficit and consequently gain insights for future business opportunities.

Through a thorough investigation of the psychological consequences of digital technology, the post-truth economy, changes within consumer engagement in marketing, the value and understanding of mindfulness, and attention autonomy; it has been found that there is an opportunity for further research in marketing in a mindful manner to lower Generation Y, who are aware of their digital habits

Section 8

and diminishing attention, have an understanding of mindfulness and are looking for brands with ethical core values to be buy into and be loyal to.

A key motivator for businesses to adopt more mindful branding, core values and business practices, is that they then have the opportunity to capture consumer attention in an organic, long-term way and gain loyal custom from consumers who are actively looking to put money into a business with good intentions.

In summary, mindfulness is beginning to combat the impacts of the attention economy in a modern and subjective way; and consumers want to buy into

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Kumar, V., Aksoy, L., Donkers, B., Venkatesan, R., Wiesel, T. and Tillmanns, S. (2010). Undervalued or Overvalued Customers: Capturing Total Customer Engagement Value. Journal of Service Research, [online] 13(3), pp.297-310. Available at: http:// journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1094670510375602 [Accessed 27 Jan. 2018].

Macmaster, K. (2016). The Attention Economy: Why Marketers Are Killing, Not Capturing, Attention. [Blog] Vidyard. Available at: https://www.vidyard.com/blog/attention-economy-marketers-killing-not-capturing-attention/ [Accessed 3 Feb. 2018].

Monteiro, L., Musten, R. and Compson, J. (2014). Traditional and Contemporary Mindfulness: Finding the Middle Path in the Tangle of Concerns. Mindfulness, [online] 6(1), pp.1-13. Available at: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12671-0140301-7 [Accessed 25 Jan. 2018].

Nirell, L. (2016). Mindful marketer. 1st ed. Basingstoke, United Kingdom: Palgrave Macmillan.

Postman, N. (1987). Amusing Ourselves to Death. 1st ed. London: Methuen Publishing Ltd. Romani, S., Grappi, S., Zarantonello, L. and Bagozzi, R. (2015). The revenge of the consumer! How brand moral violations lead to consumer anti-brand activism. Journal of Brand Management, [online] 22(8), pp.658-672. Available at: https://link. springer.com/article/10.1057/bm.2015.38 [Accessed 27 Jan. 2018].

Saunders, M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A. (2016). Research methods for business students. Harlow [etc.]: Pearson Education Limited.

Shirky, C. (2018). It’s Not Information Overload. It’s Filter Failure. [online] MAS CONTEXT. Available at: http://www. mascontext.com/issues/7-information-fall-10/its-not-information-overload-its-filter-failure/ [Accessed 26 Jan. 2018].

Time Well Spent (2018). App Ratings. [online] Center for Humane Technology. Available at: http://humanetech.com/appratings/ [Accessed 25 Jan. 2018].

Transcultural Psychiatry (2013). Mindfulness or Mindlessness. [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=c6Avs5iwACs [Accessed 26 Jan. 2018].

Ward, A., Duke, K., Gneezy, A. and Bos, M. (2017). Brain Drain: The Mere Presence of One’s Own Smartphone Reduces Available Cognitive Capacity. Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, 2(2), pp.140-154.

Ward, A., Duke, K., Gneezy, A. and Bos, M. (2017). Brain Drain: The Mere Presence of One’s Own Smartphone Reduces Available Cognitive Capacity. Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, [online] 2(2), pp.140-154. Available at: http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/691462 [Accessed 27 Jan. 2018].

Wax, R. (2016). Mindfulness Guide for the Frazzled, A. London: Penguin Books Ltd. Bryman, A. and Bell, E. (2011).

Section 9

BIBLIOGRAPHY BOOKS Business research methods. 3rd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Corballis, M. (2015). The wandering mind. 1st ed. Chicago: Chicago Univ. Press.

Crawford, M. (2015). The world beyond your head. New York: Viking.

Lavergne, M. (2015). Fixing fashion. London: New City Publishers.

Nirell, L. (2016). Mindful marketer. 1st ed. Basingstoke, United Kingdom: Palgrave Macmillan.

Postman, N. (1987). Amusing Ourselves to Death. 1st ed. London: Methuen Publishing Ltd. Robson, C. (2014). How to do a research project. Chichester [u.a.]: Wiley.

Saunders, M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A. (2016). Research methods for business students. Harlow [etc.]: Pearson Education Limited.

Wax, R. (2016). Mindfulness Guide for the Frazzled, A. London: Penguin Books Ltd.

JOURNAL ARTICLES Carboni, J., Roach, A. and Fredrick, L. (2013). Impact of Mindfulness Training on the Behavior of Elementary Students With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder. Research in Human Development, [online] 10(3), pp.234-251. Available at: http:// www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15427609.2013.818487 [Accessed 26 Jan. 2018].

Castro Samayoa, A. and Nicolazzo, Z. (2017). Affect and/as collective resistance in a post-truth moment. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, [online] 30(10), pp.988-993. Available at: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs /10.1080/09518398.2017.1312595 [Accessed 22 Jan. 2018].

Doomen, J. (2009). Information Inflation. Journal of Information Ethics, 18(2), pp.27-37.

Dreyfus, G. (2011). Is mindfulness present-centred and non-judgmental? A discussion of the cognitive dimensions of mindfulness. Contemporary Buddhism, [online] 12(1), pp.41-54. Available at: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/ full/10.1080/14639947.2011.564815?scroll=top&needAccess=true [Accessed 25 Jan. 2018].

Gewin, V. (2017). Communication: Post-truth predicaments. Nature, [online] 541(7637), pp.425-427. Available at: https:// www.nature.com/nature/journal/v541/n7637/full/nj7637-425a.html [Accessed 25 Jan. 2018].

Kumar, V., Aksoy, L., Donkers, B., Venkatesan, R., Wiesel, T. and Tillmanns, S. (2010). Undervalued or Overvalued Customers: Capturing Total Customer Engagement Value. Journal of Service Research, [online] 13(3), pp.297-310. Available at: http:// journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1094670510375602 [Accessed 27 Jan. 2018].

Monteiro, L., Musten, R. and Compson, J. (2014). Traditional and Contemporary Mindfulness: Finding the Middle Path in the Tangle of Concerns. Mindfulness, [online] 6(1), pp.1-13. Available at: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12671-0140301-7 [Accessed 25 Jan. 2018].

Romani, S., Grappi, S., Zarantonello, L. and Bagozzi, R. (2015). The revenge of the consumer! How brand moral violations lead to consumer anti-brand activism. Journal of Brand Management, [online] 22(8), pp.658-672. Available at: https://link. springer.com/article/10.1057/bm.2015.38 [Accessed 27 Jan. 2018].

Ward, A., Duke, K., Gneezy, A. and Bos, M. (2017). Brain Drain: The Mere Presence of One’s Own Smartphone Reduces Available Cognitive Capacity. Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, [online] 2(2), pp.140-154. Available at: http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/691462 [Accessed 27 Jan. 2018].

WEBSITES/BLOGS Futurelab. (2018). Marketing & Strategy Innovation blog. [online] Available at: https://futurelab.net/blog [Accessed 25 Jan. 2018].

Gregoire, C. (2018). You Probably Use Your Smartphone Way More Than You Think. [online] HuffPost UK. Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/smartphone-usage-estimates_us_5637687de4b063179912dc96 [Accessed 27 Jan. 2018].

Macmaster, K. (2016). The Attention Economy: Why Marketers Are Killing, Not Capturing, Attention. [Blog] Vidyard. Available at: https://www.vidyard.com/blog/attention-economy-marketers-killing-not-capturing-attention/ [Accessed 3 Feb. 2018].

Methods.manchester.ac.uk. (2018). Data collection - Methods@Manchester - The University of Manchester. [online] Available at: https://www.methods.manchester.ac.uk/themes/data-collection/ [Accessed 25 Jan. 2018].

Shirky, C. (2018). It’s Not Information Overload. It’s Filter Failure. [online] MAS CONTEXT. Available at: http://www. mascontext.com/issues/7-information-fall-10/its-not-information-overload-its-filter-failure/ [Accessed 26 Jan. 2018].

Time Well Spent (2018). App Ratings. [online] Center for Humane Technology. Available at: http://humanetech.com/appratings/ [Accessed 25 Jan. 2018].

VIDEOS Brewer, J. (2018). A simple way to break a bad habit. [online] Ted.com. Available at: https://www.ted.com/talks/judson_ brewer_a_simple_way_to_break_a_bad_habit [Accessed 19 Jan. 2018].

Harris, T. (2018). How better tech could protect us from distraction. [online] Ted.com. Available at: https://www.ted.com/ talks/tristan_harris_how_better_tech_could_protect_us_from_distraction#t-537984 [Accessed 20 Jan. 2018].

Ricard, M. (2018). How to let altruism be your guide. [online] Ted.com. Available at: https://www.ted.com/talks/matthieu_ ricard_how_to_let_altruism_be_your_guide [Accessed 20 Jan. 2018].

Seligman, M. (2018). The new era of positive psychology. [online] Ted.com. Available at: https://www.ted.com/talks/ martin_seligman_on_the_state_of_psychology#t-1503 [Accessed 19 Jan. 2018].

Transcultural Psychiatry (2013). Mindfulness or Mindlessness. [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=c6Avs5iwACs [Accessed 26 Jan. 2018].

Turkle, S. (2018). Connected, but alone?. [online] Ted.com. Available at: https://www.ted.com/talks/sherry_turkle_alone_ together/discussion [Accessed 20 Jan. 2018].

Section 9

APPENDIX SURVEY RESULTS

Section 10

CASE STUDY CONSENT FORMS

CASE STUDY INTERVIEWS Sophie Palmer, 21 Intro part time student/volunteer at an athletics club & st mary’s hospice enjoys cross fit Would you say that mindfulness is important to you and why? yes because she believes if you’re not mindful of yourself, you cannot be aware of much going on around you a mindful person can see problems arising as they approach and better deal with them when I’m angry or rushed or not being mindful, that’s when I ‘snap’ How would you personally describe/define mindfulness? an awareness and use of your reason Do you take part in mindful activities? e.g. yoga, meditation yes but not regularly What activities would you say you do to be mindful in your life? she personally wouldn’t class it as meditation but at night she has been brought up to always say her “thank yous” stemming from practising meditation with her dad, it gives her time before bed to calm herself, thinking about what she’s grateful for and centre herself Would you say this has a positive impact on your life? yes - and when I do go to yoga classes I come out feeling more calm in this busy life and it also energises me Would you say this has a positive impact on your mental health? yes, definitely. It helps me before I go to sleep so I can sleep better and more relaxed I used to be a very, very stressed person so I read into CBT (cognitive behaviour therapy) and all the psychologists spoke about mindfulness so now I set aside some time to be calm before bed, or even just in a traffic jam, to just sit and think for a few moments Do you think that mindfulness stems down to just meditation or do you think that there are other things that you do to be mindful?

I think people don’t understand - because we’re so regimented (you go to uni, you go to school, etc) - that you don’t have to sit and meditate for an allotted time, you can just do a little bit here and there or in traffic the whole point is that it is ‘nice’ - you can’t be good or bad at being mindful, it’s personal Do you think that veganism has a significant impact on your personal happiness/mental health? yes - “I think that mindfulness is a big part of it [veganism], I think that when you start being mindful of what’s on your plate then you would become a vegan” if everybody was truly mindful they would think ‘oh, that is a dead animal on my plate’ because I was raised a vegetarian and then my family became vegan, some of the psychological struggles that other people have with going straight to vegan makes me respect them a lot more because I obviously found it a little bit easier when we make food or go out for a meal my dad will say ‘nothings died on that plate’ or ‘the animals thank you’ - it’s nice to be able to eat (especially when you eat something really really nice) with the knowledge that nobody suffered for that meal shops try to hide behind words like ‘beef’ instead of cow because they don’t want you to think about what it is, and the way that you don’t buy a whole chicken (beak and all) it’s put into a weird position - they try and prevent consumers from being mindful and think that these things are just food if you really were mindful about it then it would, and does, affect people’s mental health the reason that people lash back so much at vegans is because you touch a nerve when you say “I’m vegan and I don’t believe you should hurt animals for food” we’re intelligent, we can make food that isn’t meat - it hurts people mentally because they know deep down that they shouldn’t doing it, hence why they wouldn’t eat their dog or their cat not just ethically, but veganism is also mindful from an environmental perspective Would you say that veganism is also important to you from a personal health perspective? yes because I now believe that my body is a temple when I first when to uni and I was drunk, I’d sometimes get a pizza but now the thought of eating anything like that (not just because I know that an animal suffered for it but also because I know what it’s going to do in my body)

eating fresh food helps your mental health because you feel healthier, you feel lighter, you are able to be more active, your hair and nails get healthier the psychical illnesses that come from eating meat can lead to mental health issues - I know this from working in a hospice knowing that you or a loved one has an illness can have a knock on effect of mental issues such as depression there’s a stigma around veganism and what vegans eat but it is a higher pleasure Do you think these mindful life choices of yours also impact what brands you are willing to buy into? Do you go out of your way to ensure that you have a basic level of knowledge on the brand that you’re buying into or do you wait for the brand to tell you? yes - and I think that the way in which the world is now, you have to take it upon yourself not as hard as it seems e.g. cruelty cutter app I know of certain ethical sporting brands to buy into I think a lot of brands don’t claim to be completely ethical because they can’t actually be sure that their product is in business being cost effective overrules being completely ethical - ethical brands are often smaller, in little shops, not as many products, often more expensive As a conscious consumer, are you willing to pay more for an ethical brand?

I am, and my family and I do pay more when we know something is ethical it is sad that the cheap stuff e.g. primark is unethical it’s sad that people have no choice but to buy into these practices e.g. a single mom who needs to clothe 5 children may have to shop in primark, she can’t spend the extra money or check all of their products brands that aren’t eco-friendly don’t have to make it clear to their consumers, so they don’t Do you find it easy to trust brand promises? e.g. H&M’s sustainable promises no - I don’t understand the laws behind it but I personally think that there must be a certain level of “eco” they can be in order to brand themselves as such and I don’t believe that it’s fully environmentally friendly or good for anyone I always think “yeah you’re probably being a little bit better than, say, the animal killer fur shop down the road; but you’re probably still not being 100%” the industry wants them to thrive so they would make it so they can do that Do you think that your distrust toward “the system” stems from you being more mindful? yes because when you notice and your eyes are opened to these things and it shows you how, for example, pharmaceutical companies are supported and funded by the dairy industry, you realise that it all stems back to money they companies don’t care about making the world good and happy, they care about finding the best way to make money so I don’t trust these laws especially in the food industry they used to say smoking was good for you - they don’t always have it right they are so many studies showing health problems from meat and dairy that are seemingly systematically hidden, I think if they can get away with that in the food industry then I don’t trust brand promises in other industries either obviously if a brand’s competitors are doing it, then they are likely to do so too if a brand is hitting industry laws/targets then it will lift their conscience, allow them to brand as eco-friendly and they “won’t lose a wink of sleep” What factors are most important to you when purchasing hair/beauty products? Ethical, cruelty free, vegan, what chemicals you put on your skin? a combination of all of those things I have a friend who is an Arbonne rep (a vegan beauty/skincare etc brand) who I buy my gym supplements from when I was at uni I simply bought what I could afford but often felt guilty about it - it’s a lot more effort to order from Arbonne, pay more, wait a long time for the delivery. We can’t simply pop to Sainsbury’s for soap or shampoo - these products aren’t readily available to us What kinds of advertising do you think gains your trust the most? Would physically experiencing the products gain your trust more than traditional advertising?

I think traditional advertising methods are so common and basically all the same so they just go past you differently ethically stanced brands could be marketed the same but you don’t know because they can say the same thing in their marketing I got into Arbonne because my friend who is a rep told me about them and let me try their products and now I always buy from her I immediately spent loads in there because I knew it was actually good stuff and I trusted her I also think that I would trust an influencer or a celebrity’s opinion like Lucy Watson or Vegan Community girls - there are girls on there (VC) that promote vegan fake tan and I instantly look at it even if I don’t actually need it - as long as a respectable vegan has said it, I will check it out I trust people more than brands because it feels more personal

Richard Mays, 23 Any hobbies? watching sports, playing xbox, socialising with friends Would you say that mindfulness is important to you and why? yes as I think it’s important to help with thinking about how other people think and feel, and how this affects much more than you might expect people are starting to realise how important mental health is - but still not enough How would you personally describe/define mindfulness? in my mind I think it means to be conscious of other people’s feelings, be conscious of the earth and society as a whole being thoughtful and aware and considerate Do you take part in mindful activities? e.g. yoga, meditation sometimes I meditate - occasionally alone but more often with my girlfriend or sister I find meditation peaceful and enjoyable - when I open my eyes I feel like the world is in HD What activities would you say you do to be mindful in your life?

I think I am more mindful in day to day life - I am often very aware of my surroundings and social situations meditation aside, I wouldn’t say I do many specific activities I would say I do it quite naturally Would you say this has a positive impact on your life? yes, I think it makes me feel better and more positive sometimes however I think I am too aware and can be over the top Would you say this has a positive impact on your mental health? yes because I feel good about myself when I know that I and other people are “okay” Do you think that mindfulness stems down to just meditation or do you think that there are other things that you do to be mindful?

Do you think that veganism has a significant impact on your personal happiness/mental health? yes - since being vegan I have felt more energetic and good about myself even if the effects weren’t physical straight away, when I think about the fact that I have a better impact on animals and the environment it makes me feel good and like a better person being vegan makes me feel part of the world - part of something bigger

ROSIE BARR Fashion Marketing and Branding Nottingham Trent University Research Project: Stage 1

Strategic and Creative Solutions FMBR30001

6,150 words