The acronym AIDA has been used in sales and marketing for a long time and stands for:
Attention, Interest, Desire, Action.

The concept remains valid. However, despite the fact that so many people are collected to the Internet with increased frequency, it seems to be more and more difficult to attract people’s attention and start the process. We may be connected but we are busy. Time is in short supply despite all our labour-saving devices. Our competition is not confined to the other companies who offer the same products and services as we do. Our competition is anyone else who is able to get our clients’ attention. Whilst I am watching a film at the cinema, I am not working out at the gym. Whilst I am in a meeting, I am not able to take your call or to read your email. Of course, this has always been true but ‘being connected’ now means that we get more messages, more contact requests, more noise.

It is hardly surprising that the new data protection regulations have been created in Europe in order to try to control this noise. It has become necessary for us to be able to choose who we listen to, who we give our attention to, based on a prior interest or desire for information and perhaps the recognition that a certain action is necessary. So perhaps the words that gave us the original acronym are still correct, they just need to be put in a different order.