Can We Have Your Attention?

Phonogram

Can We Have Your Attention? is your guide to surviving and thriving in the modern attention economy. We talk about the players fighting for your focus – from the algorithms optimising your feeds to the ad tech and brand strategies that keep you scrolling. We go beyond the click-bait bad news and look for solutions. Each episode explores digital wellbeing, media literacy, and practical mental health tools to help you build resilience against distraction and burnout. Whether you want to understand the creator economy, manage your screen time, or simply reclaim your mind from big tech, join us to learn how to pay attention to what truly matters. Your Guides to the Attention Economy: Hosted by Claire Coady, a marketing expert who has advised governments and global brands on how to win the battle for attention, and James Wickham, a former BBC journalist who has spent a career inside the 24-hour news machine. Together, they combine 40+ years of experience to help you understand who is fighting for your focus, and how you can fight back. This is a Phonogram production.

  1. APR 14

    When Brands Go Viral

    Claire Coady and James Wickham discuss what happens when brands become news. From the Kit Kat heist to Nutella in space to McDonald’s CEO attempting to eat a burger like a human, Claire breaks down what happens in the marketing teams, while James picks up what happens in the newsrooms. What goes through a brand teams’ minds? What do journalists think? And when is it ever really news? Mentioned in the show: McDonald’s CEO Went Viral. Now He Has to Win Back Customers | WSJ https://youtu.be/rZxnFI2OW9k?si=au3QAkZUI4lu6tfx  The Great KitKat Heist–Truckload of Formula 1 KitKats Stolen https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterlyon/2026/03/30/chocolate-grand-theft-auto-italys-missing-f1-kitkat-shipment/  Breakdown of KitKat’s market entry strategy in Japan, which has wildly influenced its brand and marketing strategy worldwide https://blog.btrax.com/kit-kats-market-entry/  F1’s Corporate Brand Strategy - how it sells itself as an entertainment brand https://corp.formula1.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Formula-1-Strategic-Plan011320.pdf  If you like heists… Narconomics: How to run a Drug Cartel  https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16591/9781785030420  And weird robbery trivia… how Tide detergent became the most popular target for thieves in the United States https://nymag.com/news/features/tide-detergent-drugs-2013-1/  And finally - on brand valuation (i.e. why F1 Kit Kats were stolen, but Kit Kat itself was all the public could register): https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/what-is-brand-valuation  Can We Have Your Attention? is a podcast exploring the unseen forces that shape what we see, what we buy, and who we become. Hosted by Claire Coady and James Wickham, we dive into the mechanics of the Attention Economy to understand how value is created (and manipulated) in a distracted world. Production Credits: Hosted by: Claire Coady & James WickhamProduced by: Phonogram https://www.phonogram.co.uk in conjunction with The Attention Practice https://www.theattentionpractice.com Find out more on our website https://canwehaveyourattention.com Got a story for us? Email us: hello@canwehaveyourattention.com  Enjoying the episode? If you found this conversation valuable, please follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred player. Leaving a rating or review helps us break through the noise—and get the attention of more listeners like you.

    38 min

  2. MAR 17

    Is it time for a movement to reclaim attention? Discussing Attensity! with the Friends of Attention

    In this episode Claire & James speak to D. Graham Burnett, the Henry Charles Lea Professor of History and History of Science at Princeton University and co-editor of Attensity! A Manifesto of the Attention Liberation Movement; and Peter Schmidt, the Program Director of the Strother School of Radical Attention. They form part of the The Friends of Attention; a loose network who share an interest in all things attention. Their book, Attensity! A Manifesto for the Attention Liberation Movement, argues that a movement of collective resistance is needed to tackle the 'human fracking' of attention. Strother School of Radical Attention https://www.schoolofattention.org/ The Friends of Attention https://friendsofattention.org/ Attensity! A Manifesto for the Attention Liberation Movement: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/478341/attensity-by-attention-the-friends-of/9780241810965 Other books/resources mentioned this week - so you can start studying, organising, and finding sanctuary: The Attention Merchants by Tim Wu: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16591/9781782394853 The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16591/9781802063271 The Sirens’ Call: How Attention Became the World’s Most Endangered Resource by Chris Hayes: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16591/9781914484940 Finally, Louis Theroux’s documentary ‘Inside the Manosphere’ on Netflix (paywall) https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/81920687  Can We Have Your Attention? is a podcast exploring the unseen forces that shape what we see, what we buy, and who we become. Hosted by Claire Coady and James Wickham, we dive into the mechanics of the Attention Economy to understand how value is created (and manipulated) in a distracted world. Production Credits: Hosted by: Claire Coady & James WickhamProduced by: Phonogram https://www.phonogram.co.uk in conjunction with The Attention Practice https://www.theattentionpractice.com Find out more on our website https://canwehaveyourattention.com Got a story for us? Email us: hello@canwehaveyourattention.com  Enjoying the episode? If you found this conversation valuable, please follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred player. Leaving a rating or review helps us break through the noise—and get the attention of more listeners like you.

    40 min

  3. MAR 3

    The Fog of Everything: Iran, War, Uncertainty, Anthropic and OpenAI with Andrew Cheatham

    Claire and James, with guest Andrew Cheatham, dive into the U.S. and Israel's attack on Iran, examining the flow of information in modern conflict and how AI has transformed it. The discussion focuses on the U.S. government's controversial decision to ban Anthropic's AI tool, Claude, labelling it a "supply chain risk." With OpenAI securing the same limits Anthropic requested, we ask: Is this ban about national security, or is it a political signal against "woke" ethics in technology? Wired: X is drowning in disinformation following U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran https://www.wired.com/story/x-is-drowning-in-disinformation-following-us-and-israels-attack-on-iran/  Politico: Trump orders all U.S. agencies to cease using Anthropic https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/27/trump-orders-all-federal-agencies-to-stop-using-anthropic-00804517  New York Times: Pentagon standoff is a decisive moment for how AI will be used in war https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/27/technology/defense-department-anthropic-ai-safety.html?unlocked_article_code=1.QFA.zOQ2.S3TCzxNbYYX8&smid=url-share  Andrew Cheatham is a Senior Security Analyst at Global Guardian and Chief Counsel and Managing Director of Pragmatic Panic Legal and Social Services, a US non-profit supporting communities affected by global threats. He directs research on training AI in accordance with the laws of armed conflict. An Adjunct Professor at Boston University and Visiting Senior Research Fellow at King’s College London, he has led initiatives on disruptive technologies and conflict at USIP and served with the UN in New York, Iraq, Libya, and Tunisia, and the African Union in Somalia. Support Pragmatic Panic's mission: https://www.pragmaticpanic.org/. Can We Have Your Attention? is a podcast exploring the unseen forces that shape what we see, what we buy, and who we become. Hosted by Claire Coady and James Wickham, we dive into the mechanics of the Attention Economy to understand how value is created (and manipulated) in a distracted world. Production Credits: Hosted by: Claire Coady & James WickhamProduced by: Phonogram https://www.phonogram.co.uk in conjunction with The Attention Practice https://www.theattentionpractice.com Find out more on our website https://canwehaveyourattention.com Got a story for us? Email us: hello@canwehaveyourattention.com  Enjoying the episode? If you found this conversation valuable, please follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred player. Leaving a rating or review helps us break through the noise—and get the attention of more listeners like you.

    40 min

  4. FEB 17

    Turning our attention onto… this podcast: what we’ve learned about making a podcast (so far)

    In this episode, James & Claire - who host the show - talk about... the show. We have not, promise, completely vaulted over our own collective shark. Instead we are looking at the barriers to entering the creative attention economy; setup costs, technical issues, avoiding view farms, excessive editing time - through the prism of this very podcast. We also explain why we're going fortnightly - it's related to all this stuff above. Remember if you would like to feed back on anything we mention in the podcast, or you have ideas and people you'd like to hear from and about, please message: canwehaveyourattention@protonmail.com About The ShowCan We Have Your Attention? explores the unseen forces that shape what we see, what we buy, and who we become. Hosted by Claire Coady and James Wickham, we dive into the mechanics of the Attention Economy to understand how value is created (and manipulated) in a distracted world. Production Credits: Hosted by: Claire Coady & James WickhamProduced by: Phonogram https://www.phonogram.co.uk  Enjoying the episode? If you found this conversation valuable, please leave a rating or review - it helps us break through the noise—and get the attention of more listeners like you.

    31 min

  5. FEB 3

    How the NFL decided to ignore sports and start entertaining

    In this episode of the Can We Have Your Attention? podcast, hosts Claire Coady and James Wickham get overexcited about the upcoming Super Bowl between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. We speak to veteran sports business journalist Dan Kaplan to explore how the NFL has developed its product to prioritise growth & reach, and is constantly innovating in an effort to retain eyeballs and attention. We look at its international expansion plans, how the future might involve flags, and how the NFL has decided to make itself an entertainment product first, and a sport second. Oh, and we tell you who’s going to win the game. Probably. An absolutely crucial link:  The Chicago Bears ‘85 – The Super Bowl Shuffle: https://youtu.be/KrYp6DUTG-M?si=_xdsNs7YdFJWm9A-&t=15 About The ShowCan We Have Your Attention? is a podcast exploring the unseen forces that shape what we see, what we buy, and who we become. Hosted by Claire Coady and James Wickham, we dive into the mechanics of the Attention Economy to understand how value is created (and manipulated) in a distracted world. Production Credits: Hosted by: Claire Coady & James WickhamProduced by: Phonogram https://www.phonogram.co.uk  Enjoying the episode? If you found this conversation valuable, please follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred player. Leaving a rating or review helps us break through the noise—and get the attention of more listeners like you.

    32 min

  6. JAN 27

    Strongmen, Algorithms, Stans and Kendrick Lamar: How the War for Attention reached Davos

    Has President Trump’s foreign policy become the ultimate celebrity beef? Claire and James unpack how Trump uses international relations to flex his strongman image. They explore the collision of geopolitics and Stan culture, asking whether algorithms reward this spectacle and what world leaders can learn about dealing with Donald Trump from the Kendrick Lamar vs Drake feud. Plus analysis on how devoted fanbases are cultivated online and how algorithms have accidentally changed politics. What happens when diplomacy descends into diss tracks? How should world leaders respond when the attention economy dictates global power? We take a look at the new rules of engagement. Trump “torched allies” with leaked screenshots and trolling https://www.politico.eu/article/donald-trump-america-allies-eu-diplomats-greenland/  A bit more on Stans and the music industry - required reading for, well, anybody working in influence https://www.soundspheremag.com/news/stans-are-changing-the-music-industry-as-we-know-it-but-how/ Wired (4 Nov 2025): “It’s been a year since Trump was elected. The Democrats still don’t get the internet.” https://www.wired.com/story/do-democrats-get-the-internet-yet/   Not a new problem - from MIT Technology Review: older liberals are quick to celebrate Stans when they affect conservatives, but they don’t understand them or their motivations: https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/06/23/1004336/tiktok-teens-kpop-stans-trump-resistance-its-complicated/   Supreme Court rejected Trump’s use of Illinois state militia to support ICE https://www.scotusblog.com/2025/12/supreme-court-rejects-trumps-effort-to-deploy-national-guard-in-illinois/ About The ShowCan We Have Your Attention? explores the unseen forces that shape what we see, what we buy, and who we become. Hosted by Claire Coady and James Wickham, we dive into the mechanics of the Attention Economy to understand how value is created (and manipulated) in a distracted world. Production Credits: Hosted by: Claire Coady & James WickhamProduced by: Phonogram https://www.phonogram.co.uk  Enjoying the episode? If you found this conversation valuable, please leave a rating or review - it helps us break through the noise—and get the attention of more listeners like you.

    30 min

  7. JAN 20

    Can X’s rage baiting strategy survive? X, Grok AI, algorithms, and the war for attention

    In this episode of the Can We Have Your Attention? podcast, hosts Claire Coady and James Wickham dive into the escalating crisis around algorithms, free speech, and corporate responsibility in the attention economy. We explore how platforms like X and its AI, Grok, promote "complete freedom of speech" as a core product feature, and the disruption it creates - how does a business like X versus a business like Meta weigh up the reward of influence and attention against risks of public backlash, or breaking local laws? We dissect the complex balancing act that global tech giants like Meta and Alphabet (Google) must perform, comparing their publicly traded strategies with the decisions made by privately-owned companies like X, and uncover how they try to satisfy users, advertisers, and global lawmakers all at once. Algorithms: Washington Post: Evolution of the Facebook algorithm https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/interactive/2021/how-facebook-algorithm-works/ Excerpt from Emily Baker-White’s book on the history of TikTok and its algorithm, Every Screen on Every Planet: https://www.forbes.com/sites/emilybaker-white/2025/09/27/origins-of-tiktok-algorithm-every-screen-on-the-planet-book-excerpt/ Buy the book here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16591/9781035049264  Business Insider on every change made by Elon Musk after taking over Twitter (now X): https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-twitter#november-2022-2  New York Magazine on how algorithm changes affect creators, looking mainly at YouTube - ‘The YouTube Vibecession’: ​​https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/the-youtube-vibecession.html  For a laugh: Facebook ad from 2012, unaffectionately known as ‘Chairs’, created by world-class ad agency wieden+kennedy, and directed by Oscar-winning film director Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu. I know.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSzoDPptYNA Parodied to perfection on the HBO series ‘Silicon Valley’ - the Pied Piper ad, ‘Tables’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQ4CuJm_lws  About The ShowCan We Have Your Attention? explores the unseen forces that shape what we see, what we buy, and who we become. Hosted by Claire Coady and James Wickham, we dive into the mechanics of the Attention Economy to understand how value is created (and manipulated) in a distracted world. Production Credits: Hosted by: Claire Coady & James WickhamProduced by: Phonogram https://www.phonogram.co.uk  Enjoying the episode? If you found this conversation valuable, please leave a rating or review - it helps us break through the noise—and get the attention of more listeners like you.

    38 min

  8. JAN 13

    How to make friends and influence yourself: lessons from prison on fighting isolation

    In this episode, James & Claire are joined by Dr Katherine Albertson, a senior lecturer in Criminology at Sheffield Hallam University. Following on from our previous episode on radicalisation, we look at what happens to those people who are in the criminal justice system - those who by the very nature of where they are can't place their attention in the same way, and who often don't have attention placed on them. We hear how many feel isolated from the rest of society, and how peer mentors can help them acclimatise to a new and often scary environment. Dr Katherine is here: https://www.shu.ac.uk/about-us/our-people/staff-profiles/katherine-albertson About The Show: Can We Have Your Attention? is a podcast exploring the unseen forces that shape what we see, what we buy, and who we become. Hosted by Claire Coady and James Wickham, we dive into the mechanics of the Attention Economy to understand how value is created (and manipulated) in a distracted world. Production Credits: Hosted by: Claire Coady & James Wickham Produced by: Phonogram https://www.phonogram.co.uk Enjoying the episode? If you found this conversation valuable, please follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred player. Leaving a rating or review helps us break through the noise—and get the attention of more listeners like you.

    24 min
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Trailer

About

Can We Have Your Attention? is your guide to surviving and thriving in the modern attention economy. We talk about the players fighting for your focus – from the algorithms optimising your feeds to the ad tech and brand strategies that keep you scrolling. We go beyond the click-bait bad news and look for solutions. Each episode explores digital wellbeing, media literacy, and practical mental health tools to help you build resilience against distraction and burnout. Whether you want to understand the creator economy, manage your screen time, or simply reclaim your mind from big tech, join us to learn how to pay attention to what truly matters. Your Guides to the Attention Economy: Hosted by Claire Coady, a marketing expert who has advised governments and global brands on how to win the battle for attention, and James Wickham, a former BBC journalist who has spent a career inside the 24-hour news machine. Together, they combine 40+ years of experience to help you understand who is fighting for your focus, and how you can fight back. This is a Phonogram production.

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