CRE and the Attention Economy: Competing with Netflix, TikTok, and Amazon

Commercial real estate (CRE) marketers are used to thinking of competition in terms of nearby properties. Which office tower has the best amenities? Which shopping center has the strongest anchors? Which industrial hub offers the lowest cost per square foot?

But here’s the reality: in 2025, CRE firms aren’t just competing with each other. They’re competing in the attention economy—the same crowded ecosystem where Netflix fights for binge hours, TikTok fights for scrolls, and Amazon fights for clicks.

Attention is the new scarce resource, and if your marketing doesn’t grab and hold it, you risk fading into the background noise of a distracted world.

The Rise of the Attention Economy

The phrase “attention economy” describes how companies now compete for consumers’ limited focus in a digital environment oversaturated with content. Think about your own day: you might check Slack, skim LinkedIn, scroll TikTok, stream a Netflix show, then glance at an Amazon notification—all before breakfast.

That’s the environment where CRE marketing now lives. Your prospective tenant, investor, or broker is bouncing between entertainment, shopping, and social platforms. To cut through, your message needs to be as compelling as consumer brands that have mastered the art of digital storytelling.

For decades, CRE leaned on static brochures, square footage tables, and in-person tours. But the baseline has shifted. Today, stakeholders expect digital experiences that are just as engaging as the platforms they use every day.

What Netflix, TikTok, and Amazon Teach Us

So, what can “serious” CRE companies learn from global consumer brands?

Netflix: Anticipation and storytelling. Netflix doesn’t just show content; it builds narratives around upcoming releases, trailers, and cliffhangers. For CRE, that might look like teasing renderings of a development before launch or sharing ongoing progress updates that build anticipation for opening day.

TikTok: Short-form, authentic, addictive content. TikTok thrives because it’s personal, relatable, and fast. For CRE, short videos showing how a lobby can transform for an event, how tenants use communal spaces, or how a warehouse improves logistics operations can make your property feel real and human.

Amazon: Personalization and frictionless experience. Amazon wins by showing you exactly what you want, when you want it, with zero friction. CRE firms can mirror this by using CRM data, targeted email campaigns, and SEO-optimized listings to serve the right opportunities to the right prospects—while making inquiry, touring, and leasing as seamless as a one-click checkout.

The lesson? People don’t just want information. They want stories, emotions, and ease.

From Square Footage to Storytelling

Traditional CRE marketing has long leaned on “hard facts”: rent per square foot, ceiling heights, amenities lists. That information still matters—but it doesn’t differentiate.

What wins attention today is narrative.

A retail development isn’t just 50,000 square feet—it’s a place where local businesses thrive and where shoppers connect with their community. An office tower isn’t just floorplates and parking ratios—it’s a flexible, wellness-driven hub designed for hybrid work. An industrial site isn’t just a warehouse—it’s the backbone of a resilient supply chain.

Real estate marketing isn’t just about promoting assets—it’s about weaving a narrative. Whether the story is about revitalizing a neighborhood, building a sustainable future, or fostering community, that bigger picture gives tenants and investors something to believe in beyond the property itself.

Marketing Like a Media Brand

In an attention economy, CRE firms need to think like media companies. That means distributing content across multiple formats and channels—because your audience isn’t in one place.

• Long-form: Whitepapers, market reports, investor updates. These establish authority and credibility.
  

• Mid-form: Blog posts, LinkedIn articles, podcasts. These keep your voice active and shareable.
  

• Short-form: TikToks, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts. These grab quick attention and showcase personality.
  

The key is consistency. A single video might go viral, but lasting attention comes from a steady cadence of content that builds recognition over time.

Personalization: Borrowing from Amazon

One-size-fits-all marketing is dead. In the same way Amazon personalizes recommendations, CRE firms need to tailor their outreach.

That starts with data. Website analytics, CRM engagement, and social media insights reveal what your prospects care about. Are office tenants clicking on content about wellness amenities? Are industrial leads searching for “last-mile” or “cold storage”? Use that intel to deliver targeted content—customized video tours, segmented email campaigns, or property highlights aligned with each group’s needs.

Personalization makes your marketing feel relevant. And relevance is what gets attention.

Authenticity and Trust in a Distracted World

Winning attention is only half the battle. You also need to hold it. And that’s where authenticity comes in.

In a world saturated with hype, stakeholders are skeptical. They want transparency. They want leaders who show up in LinkedIn comments, CEOs who record candid Q&As, and property managers who share behind-the-scenes stories about how they solved a tenant challenge.

Short-form video is powerful here. A polished, corporate sizzle reel might get clicks, but a two-minute unscripted walkthrough with a leasing director often builds more trust. Investors and tenants believe what they can see for themselves.

Risks of Ignoring the Attention Economy

The danger of sticking to “old-school” marketing isn’t just lost deals—it’s invisibility.

When prospects are scrolling through TikTok, checking LinkedIn, and scanning newsletters, if your brand isn’t there—consistently, credibly, and creatively—you don’t exist in their world.

The CRE firms that stay top of mind will be the ones that treat attention as seriously as they treat occupancy rates.

Competing Beyond Square Footage

In the past, CRE marketing competed property against property. Today, it’s property against everything else on your prospect’s screen. Netflix, TikTok, Amazon—they’ve set the standard for attention, and CRE firms need to play by the same rules.

That doesn’t mean copying consumer brands wholesale. It means learning from them: embrace storytelling, leverage short-form video, personalize with data, and show up authentically across platforms.

Because in a world where attention is scarce, it’s not the biggest property that wins. It’s the one that tells the story people remember.