--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Marketing is a contest for people's…" description: "\"Marketing is a contest for people's attention.\" — Seth Godin" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86f/seth-godin-152_attention_marketing-is-a-contest-for-people-s-atte_584828.png" --- # Marketing is a contest for people's attention. ![“Marketing is a contest for people's attention.” quote by Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86f/seth-godin-152_attention_marketing-is-a-contest-for-people-s-atte_584828.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86f/seth-godin-152_attention_marketing-is-a-contest-for-people-s-atte_584828.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86f/seth-godin-152_attention_marketing-is-a-contest-for-people-s-atte_584828.png) > “Marketing is a contest for people's attention.” [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Attention is a scarce resource; marketing must earn it through relevance and value, not force. **In simple terms:** Earn attention with value. Key Takeaway Create value to capture attention. Themes marketing attention value competition Mood strategic inspirational Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - ad campaigns - social media - product launches Key Concepts scarcity consumer psychology authenticity Questions to Reflect On - How can you provide genuine value? - What makes attention sustainable? A Different Perspective Risk of manipulative tactics. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Contest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contest/) [Customer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customer/) [Marketing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marketing/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [Some people choose to go on 'American Idol' or another singing contest, and some people choose to beat down barrooms before anyone even knows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-owen/some-people-choose-to-go-on-american-idol-or-another-singing-contest/) [Jake Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-owen/) > [People understand contests. You take a bunch of kids throwing rocks at random and people look askance, but if you go and hold a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-murray/people-understand-contests-you-take-a-bunch-of-kids-throwing-rocks-at/) [Don Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-murray/) > [“The Hunger Games gets people invested in a contest. People are rooting for their favorites, rooting for their survival. And suddenly, unwittingly, the people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-egan/the-hunger-games-gets-people-invested-in-a-contest-people-are-rooting/) Kate Egan > [It is the contest that delights us, and not the victory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/it-is-the-contest-that-delights-us-and-not-the-victory/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [I believe that in a contest between the living and the almost living, the latter must, if necessary, give way to the will of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-believe-that-in-a-contest-between-the-living-and-the-almost-living/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [In any contest between power and patience, bet on patience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-any-contest-between-power-and-patience-bet-on-patience/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The contest between form and content is what, is what art is about - it's art history. That's what basically everybody has ever contended…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-winogrand/the-contest-between-form-and-content-is-what-is-what-art-is-about-it/) [Garry Winogrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-winogrand/) > [Art has never been a popularity contest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-levine/art-has-never-been-a-popularity-contest/) [James Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-levine/) > [I am happy for there to be a leadership contest. I think there should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-brown/i-am-happy-for-there-to-be-a-leadership-contest-i-think-there-should/) [Gordon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-brown/) > [I am not a contest-enterer by nature. But contests - and their entry fees - are often the main way literary journals raise money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/i-am-not-a-contest-enterer-by-nature-but-contests-and-their-entry/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [People came to the All-Star Game to see the dunk contest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominique-wilkins/people-came-to-the-all-star-game-to-see-the-dunk-contest/) [Dominique Wilkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominique-wilkins/) > [For many observers, a child who has known nothing but war, a child for whom the Kalashnikov is the only way to make a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-beah/for-many-observers-a-child-who-has-known-nothing-but-war-a-child-for/) [Ishmael Beah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-beah/) > [Everything is a contest. All dealings among men are a contest in which some will succeed and others fail. And some are failing quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/everything-is-a-contest-all-dealings-among-men-are-a-contest-in-which/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [I didn't get hurt in the contest. I hurt it the next day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-piersall/i-didn-t-get-hurt-in-the-contest-i-hurt-it-the-next-day/) [Jimmy Piersall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-piersall/) > [I won contest after contest until finally I realized, "Ok, I am the best in the world, but now what?" So I opened my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-hosoi/i-won-contest-after-contest-until-finally-i-realized-ok-i-am-the-best/) [Christian Hosoi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-hosoi/) ## More by Seth Godin > [“You weren't born to be a cog in the giant industrial machine. You were trained to become a cog. There's an alternative available to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/you-weren-t-born-to-be-a-cog-in-the-giant-industrial-machine-you-were/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Forgive yourself for not being the richest, the thinnest, the tallest, the one with the best hair. Forgive yourself for not being the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/forgive-yourself-for-not-being-the-richest-the-thinnest-the-tallest/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The easier it is to quantify, the less it's worth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-easier-it-is-to-quantify-the-less-it-s-worth/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Developing expertise or assets that are not easily copied is essential; otherwise you're just a middleman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/developing-expertise-or-assets-that-are-not-easily-copied-is/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Leadership is a choice. It's the choice not to do nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/leadership-is-a-choice-it-s-the-choice-not-to-do-nothing/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The next thing you do today will be the most important thing on your agenda, because, after all, you're doing it next. Well, perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-next-thing-you-do-today-will-be-the-most-important-thing-on-your/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [I look at Starbucks, Howard Schultz has made many brilliant decisions, and one of the things that they did was they invented the third…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/i-look-at-starbucks-howard-schultz-has-made-many-brilliant-decisions/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Be relentlessly generous, without focusing on when it will come back to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/be-relentlessly-generous-without-focusing-on-when-it-will-come-back/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The public square is more public than ever, but minds are rarely changed in 140 character bursts and by selfies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-public-square-is-more-public-than-ever-but-minds-are-rarely/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Making an average pitch to average people, or having an average gala for average people isn't going to scale anymore. You've got to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/making-an-average-pitch-to-average-people-or-having-an-average-gala/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Our job is to make change. Our job is to connect to people, to interact with them in a way that leaves them better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/our-job-is-to-make-change-our-job-is-to-connect-to-people-to-interact/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [“Life is actually far better than it is in the movies. And it takes longer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/life-is-actually-far-better-than-it-is-in-the-movies-and-it-takes/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [I don't think there's a shortage of remarkable ideas. I think your business has plenty of great opportunities to do great things. Nope, what's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-shortage-of-remarkable-ideas-i-think-your/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The mirror we hold up to the person next to us is one of the most important pictures she will ever see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-mirror-we-hold-up-to-the-person-next-to-us-is-one-of-the-most/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [If you're a marketer who doesn't know how to invent, design, influence, adapt, and ultimately discard products, then you're no longer a marketer. You're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/if-you-re-a-marketer-who-doesn-t-know-how-to-invent-design-influence/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) [Explore all 1,110 Seth Godin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) ## More Attention quotes > [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) > [People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. At the beginning, when I was playing very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/people-pay-far-too-much-attention-to-the-television-and-they-re-quite/) [Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [What people don't normally know about us is the hustle is very real, and it's sorely driven a lot by how we consider ourselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lzzy-hale/what-people-don-t-normally-know-about-us-is-the-hustle-is-very-real/) [Lzzy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lzzy-hale/) > [For me, the term "psychotherapy" is limiting. It implies that we work with mind and emotions, but excludes the body and pays scant attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-diamond/for-me-the-term-psychotherapy-is-limiting-it-implies-that-we-work/) [Jed Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-diamond/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [I'm writing about real things. Real people. Real characters. You have to believe what I write about is true or you wouldn't pay any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/i-m-writing-about-real-things-real-people-real-characters-you-have-to/) [Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/) > [ I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with \[my wife\] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in Philly, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with-my-wife-in-december-24-1999/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [The Harvard Business Review recently had an article called 'The Human Moment,' about how to make real contact with a person at work: ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-harvard-business-review-recently-had-an-article-called-the-human/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Let us thank God heartily as often as we pray that we have His Spirit in us to teach us to pray. Thanksgiving will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-murray/let-us-thank-god-heartily-as-often-as-we-pray-that-we-have-his-spirit/) [Andy Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-murray/) > [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [We must have a welfare system that we can afford, which will mean giving greater attention to directing the welfare program toward its primary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/we-must-have-a-welfare-system-that-we-can-afford-which-will-mean/) [Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/) > [The director's job should give you a sense of music without drawing attention to itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/the-director-s-job-should-give-you-a-sense-of-music-without-drawing/) [Taylor Hackford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hackford/) [Browse all 10,153 Attention quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Marketing is a contest for people's attention.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Seth Godin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/marketing-is-a-contest-for-people-s-attention/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Attention" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/marketing-is-a-contest-for-people-s-attention/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86f/seth-godin-152_attention_marketing-is-a-contest-for-people-s-atte_584828.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86f/seth-godin-152_attention_marketing-is-a-contest-for-people-s-atte_584828.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86f/seth-godin-152_attention_marketing-is-a-contest-for-people-s-atte_584828.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Marketing is a contest for people's attention.” — Seth Godin", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Seth Godin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Marketing is a contest for people's...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/marketing-is-a-contest-for-people-s-attention/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/marketing-is-a-contest-for-people-s-attention/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```