SXSW London 2026... Attention is the Product

4 June 2026

This panel discussion promised to be a high energy conversation about how attention is created, captured and monetised today, from iconic advertising campaigns to TikTok, YouTube and personal brands.

What ultimately stood out in this panel discussion about the value of 'attention' in the realm of communication was the contrast in character and approach between the panellists - John Hegarty and Ryan Serhant. An audience member deciding whose perspective resonated and whose ideas they might choose to adopt was less about age or nationality, and probably more a reflection of the value they put on creativity and morality.

The panellists John Hegarty and Ryan Serhant, are both high-profile figures and, because of that, this event drew a large crowd. Each, having achieved significant success in their respective fields, offered a stream of compelling soundbites.

Hegarty has been a widely respected and admired figure in the global advertising scene for over six decades. Serhant, on the other hand, is a successful real estate broker who has also built a strong presence as a media personality, appearing in popular real estate reality TV series and pursuing a range of other business ventures.

John Hegarty

Whether it all came together as a cohesive discussion or even stayed consistently on topic was, unfortunately, not the case. Moderator Diane Banks took an approach of directing separate questions to each panellist, rather than fostering a shared dialogue.

As John Hegarty pointed out, however, there is rarely just one 'right' answer. He later returned to a question initially posed to Serhant, offering his own contrasting perspective and adding a layer of depth that the format had initially missed.

Serhant was very clear in his view on how attention itself is the product. His responses consistently emphasised the importance of brand building, including your own personal brands, through habit and consistency, even suggesting that content quality can sometimes be secondary to habit.

He spoke about the power of creating a community aligned around a shared purpose, building a brand through storytelling, and taking audiences on a journey. There was a strong sense that his perspective was grounded in data and stats and with 3.2 million followers on Instagram, he clearly understands what it takes to capture and sustain attention on social media.

John Hegarty offered a completely different, almost whimsical, perspective. At his core, he remains a creative, driven by the belief that "the idea is everything". To capture attention for yourself or your brand and to stand out from others, you simply need the best possible idea.

He encouraged looking beyond traditional advertising for inspiration, particularly to the entertainment industry and the things people genuinely love. For him, true engagement comes from entertaining the audience.

There were a couple of moments that proved decisive.

Hegarty’s down-to-earth nature came through when Ryan remarked that his journey from Heathrow to Shoreditch had taken three hours. "Not on the Elizabeth line it doesn’t," Hegarty replied, drawing laughter and applause from the room.

This stood in stark contrast to the audience's reaction to one of Ryan's stories, in which he effectively advocated leveraging people's fears to close a sale when he described how he had encouraged a divorced father to go $20 million over his intended budget on a property, by suggesting to the man that it might make his children more inclined to visit.

From the reactions to these two moments, it was clear which panellist had won in the battle for this audience's attention!