Attention Economy and Marketing Mechanisms: A Comparison of Low- and High-Involvement Products

In the era of the attention economy, consumer attention has become an increasingly scarce and valuable marketing resource. With the rapid development of digital platforms and algorithmic recommendation technologies, the way firms acquire and utilize consumer attention has undergone significant changes. This paper uses a conceptual analysis examines how attention-based marketing mechanisms differ across products with different levels of consumer involvement. By integrating insights from attention-based marketing theory and consumer decision-making literature, this paper analyzes two distinct pathways through which attention is transformed into purchase behavior: low-involvement products primarily rely on attention repetition and mental availability to stimulate purchasing, while high-involvement products require deeper information processing and trust formation after attention is captured. The study further discusses how firms can allocate attention resources effectively by adopting broad attention strategies for low-involvement products and deep attention strategies for high-involvement products in the digital marketing environment. This paper contributes to a better understanding of attention allocation in marketing and provides both theoretical and practical implications for firms seeking to improve marketing effectiveness in the attention economy.