The attention merchant model’s magic is delivering real value that seems free

Evidence

So unintrusive was AdWords that some people didn’t even realize that Google was ad-supported: it just seemed to be there for the taking like manna from the heavens. Google had, in fact, laid bare what had originally been so miraculous about the attention merchant model—getting something truly desirable at no apparent cost. — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 892

Categorization

• DEFINE: Articulates the defining genius of the attention merchant archetype: value at no apparent cost.
• XREF: connects to: Business models now give goods away free in exchange for user attention.; Free digital services are paid for by users’ attention.