The Harsh Truth About Modern Marketing (And Why You’re Still Losing Attention) | GaryVee Elevate Event Throwback Keynote

In this throwback keynote from Elevate 2017 in Copenhagen — the first 40 minutes of it — I lay out the real game of business in today’s world:

🎯 It’s not about who’s got the best product.
📲 It’s about who’s best at grabbing and keeping attention.

Whether you’re in SaaS, hospitality, DTC, or B2B — this is about understanding that you’re not just in your industry. You’re competing with Netflix, TikTok, your customer’s email inbox, and every other distraction on Earth. The only way to break through? Act like a media company first, and sell second.

I also share some tactical gold: how to leverage Facebook and LinkedIn (yes, still), why “guilt marketing” works, and how the future of voice — Alexa, Google Home, podcasting — is going to create the next land grab.

If you’re serious about growth in 2025, there’s no fluff in this one.

🎙️ We talk about:

• The real reason people ignore your ads

• How to use Instagram DMs to build business relationships that change everything

• Why podcasting and voice search are going to dominate time and behavior

• What most business owners still don’t understand about attention

• How to actually make B2B content that converts