About this article:
Our Field Notes series shares in-the-trenches, first-person perspectives from the frontlines of marketing, creativity, and leadership. These reflections are shaped by lived experience and challenge the status quo — offering fresh ways of thinking about the work.
After more than sixteen years in marketing, I have come to believe something that feels increasingly important in today's world:
Attention is not something you capture. It is something you earn.
That lesson was reinforced for me recently through a campaign that had very little to do with marketing tactics and everything to do with human connection.
A 29 year old was recently diagnosed with leukemia.
Prior to that diagnosis, they were the picture of health. They exercised regularly, ate well, and did everything they could to take care of themselves. Then, almost overnight, their world changed. One of the most important parts of their treatment journey became finding a matching blood stem cell donor through the NMDP Registry.
When they reached out to us, we could have taken a traditional marketing approach. We could have built ads, written copy, and pushed messages about the need for more people to join the registry.
Instead, we did something different.
We helped the patient and their family tell their own story.
Our team provided guidance and support, but the voice remained theirs. The updates, the emotions, the uncertainty, the hope, and the requests for help all came directly from the people living it every day.
What happened next was a powerful reminder of how attention actually works.
People did not engage because a nonprofit organization asked them to.
They engaged because another human being invited them into their story.
Followers became advocates. Advocates became sharers. Influencers began reposting content. Videos reached millions of views across social platforms. Thousands of people took action and joined the registry.
Most importantly, people cared.
That campaign reinforced something I have seen throughout my career. Whether you are marketing a cause, a product, or a service, people are increasingly skeptical of organizations talking about themselves.
What they are hungry for is authenticity.
For years, marketers have been told that success comes from producing more content, reaching more audiences, and moving faster than ever before. Today we have AI tools that can help us do exactly that.
And I use them.
AI can help generate ideas. It can help organize thoughts. It can help improve efficiency and eliminate tedious work.
What it cannot do is create genuine human connection. That still belongs to people.
The irony is that as technology becomes more powerful, the human side of marketing becomes even more valuable.
The campaigns that consistently break through are rarely the most polished. They are the ones that feel real.
They make people laugh.
They make people feel seen.
They make people stop scrolling for a moment because something resonates.
Over the years I have worked across social media, content creation, creative direction, digital marketing, and nonprofit marketing. Platforms have changed. Algorithms have changed. Consumer behavior has evolved.
One thing has remained remarkably consistent.
People trust people.
The best marketing strategies in the world cannot overcome a lack of trust. But when trust exists, incredible things can happen.
That is why I believe attention is often earned long before someone clicks a link, fills out a form, or makes a decision.
It is earned through credibility.
It is earned through consistency.
It is earned through stories that create connection before asking for action.
As marketers, we spend a lot of time discussing technology, automation, and optimization. Those conversations matter.
But I think the future belongs to marketers who remember that our work starts with understanding people.
The tools will continue to evolve.
AI will continue to improve.
New platforms will emerge.
Yet the most important skill in marketing may be the oldest one of all: the ability to understand another human being and tell a story that matters.
Because in a world where everyone is competing for attention, the brands that win will not be the ones that shout the loudest.
They will be the ones that earn the right to be heard.
One story, one relationship, and one human connection at a time.