Commentary

'Distraction Behavior,' The New Multi-Tasking

by Joe Mandese @mp_joemandese, February 16, 2013

That’s what Kelly Jones, senior research manager at Microsoft Advertising suggested to attendees at the Mobile Insider Summit.

Jones said Microsoft has broken down consumer mobile usage into two distinct patterns. One is dubbed “sequential,” which is when consumers use their mobile device to navigate and access content and information linearly “across time and space.”

The other, she said, is what consumers call “multi-tasking,” but Microsoft calls, “distraction behavior.” Whatever you call it, Jones said it is a behavior in which consumers are constantly doing multiple things on their mobile device. Kind of how they do things in real-life, when we’re not being monolithic, but do multiple things at the same -- even walking and chewing gum.

That said, Joens indicated that Microsoft considers the “distraction behavior” consumers to be especially vexing for marketers,because it’s not always clear how to get them to pay attention to advertising. Again, kind of like the real world.

“Is there room in this behavior for advertisers to insert themselves,” she said, invoking a sentiment marketers and agencies no doubt have been asking well before mobile devices ever existed.

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