Circle of Creation addresses doom scrolling

By Sylvie McCarthy

The link hosted Circle of Creation on May 20 featuring speaker Tery Spataro.

Spataro is a multidisciplinary artist who pushes the boundaries of storytelling. Her work spans from published science fiction stories to picture books that reflect her innovation. She is a traditional, classically trained artist who started using A.I. in 2020.

“It was all about bringing together creativity and technology to create something new and exciting,” said Spataro.

At Circle of Creation, she spoke on the attention economy and how consumer attention spans are continuing to shrink. Because of this, branding and marketing face an entirely new challenge in trying to figure out how to capture attention in meaningful and lasting ways.

According to Spataro, relevance and resonance must register with the consumer in order to make a lasting impression.

“In a feed-scroll world, your brand isn’t read — it’s recognized,” said Spataro.

Spataro said one of the main ways to make your brand instantly recognizable is through visual identity. It is important to choose wisely when picking out things like the logo, the color, the size and the typography.

The brand voice is also important when trying to capture attention. It should sound like a person, not a corporation. The point of view a brand takes is also important. Consumers like when a brand takes a firm stance on what they believe. There must also be a signature element attached to a brand, whether that is a phrase, a color or a shape.

The last thing a brand should have to be recognizable is a defined audience. It should be specific enough that the right person feels seen. According to Spataro, those are the five pillars of an instantly recognizable brand.

Spataro also talked about ways to “stop the scroll,” and she said one of the best ways to do this was to have a three-second hook. In today’s culture, it can be hard for a new business to be successful online, but Spataro said it is possible.

“Look at your weaknesses as opportunities to learn,” she said.