The Attention Rental Economy: Why Most Ad Budgets Build Nothing Permanent

There is a version of marketing that compounds. Every dollar spent builds on the last one, creates something that persists after the spending stops, and produces returns that increase over time rather than resetting to zero when the budget runs out. And there is a version of marketing that doesn't. Most brands are almost entirely invested in the second version — not because they've chosen it deliberately, but because the infrastructure of modern digital advertising makes renting the path of least resistance.