The Global Auction of Attention

Meta doesn’t just run ad auctions. It auctions attention.

And when war breaks out—anywhere in the world—attention doesn’t just shift locally. It fragments globally.

Suddenly, people are scrolling not to shop, but to understand. News outlets dominate feeds. Fear-based content skyrockets. Emotional bandwidth shrinks. Budgets from NGOs, governments, and news platforms enter the auction.

All of this pushes your ad down the feed—or off it entirely.

Even if you’re running a peaceful Summer campaign in the Middle East, a military escalation in Eastern Europe could raise your CPMs and vice versa.
Why? Because the attention landscape rebalances in real time.

What Most Marketers Miss

We’re taught that ad costs rise during:

• Black Friday
• Festive seasons
• Industry-specific booms

But here’s what we’re rarely told:
War changes your ad economics—without ever touching your audience.

• CPMs spike not because you're doing something wrong, but because more global players are bidding for limited attention.
• Signals break because human behavior becomes unpredictable during times of fear and anxiety.
• Budgets shift as governments and humanitarian causes pour funds into urgent messaging.

And Meta doesn’t “pause” the auction. It recalibrates it.

What You Can Do as a Brand

• Zoom Out
  If your ad performance suddenly drops, check the headlines before you check your ROAS. You might not be in a crisis, but your audience is watching one unfold.
• Stay Sensitive
  In times of war, flashy promotions and overly cheerful messaging can feel tone-deaf. Review your ad copy. Adapt your tone.
• Re-Evaluate Spend
  It might be worth pausing or reallocating budget—not because performance dropped, but because context changed.
• Focus on Value
  When people are overwhelmed, simplicity and clarity win. Show how your product brings stability, comfort, or real utility.

The Bigger Picture

War is a human tragedy. But for marketers, it also becomes a data anomaly—one that can't be fixed with better hooks or higher budgets.

So the next time your metrics wobble for no obvious reason, remember:

You didn’t mess up your ads.
The world changed.
And the auction adjusted.

Stay aware. Stay empathetic. And always market with context.

At J.Portman Marketing, we believe brands perform best when they listen—not just to their customers, but to the world around them.

‍