Attractionbased

Attractionbased is a term used to describe approaches that prioritize the creation of natural appeal to attract attention, interest, and engagement from an audience, rather than relying primarily on direct persuasion or push tactics. It is used across disciplines including marketing, product design, user experience, and urban planning.

Although not a formal theory with a single origin, attractionbased emphasizes aligning offerings with users' intrinsic motivations, values, and curiosities, and reducing friction to engagement.

Key principles include value-driven presentation, aesthetic appeal, storytelling, social proof, simplicity, and transparent communication. The approach focuses on attracting rather than coercing: drawing people in by demonstrating relevance and benefit before asking for commitment.

Applications: In marketing, brands use content that educates or entertains to attract customers; in software, onboarding flows that reveal key value early; in urban design, public spaces that invite lingering and interaction; in education, curiosity-driven learning experiences.

Criticisms: It can blur lines with manipulation if not ethically managed; must guard against superficial aesthetics at the expense of function; measurement of impact may be diffuse; may not be effective in all markets or with all audiences.

See also: pull marketing, user-centered design, experience design, attraction effects.