Anyhoo... back to our newsletter.
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Here's the Brain Science.
The Tesco ad is based on a psychological phenomenon known as the Generation
Effect.
The Generation Effect holds that we remember information we help generate or complete ourselves more than information we simply read passively.
Here, Tesco uses the Generation Effect in an incomplete ad that requires us to puzzle things out ourselves: to fill in the blanks. That makes the ad far more memorable and debated on LinkedIn—precisely because of the added effort that we
have to put in to comprehend what-the-what this ad is about.
It's counterintuitive, isn't it?
Most brands want to be instantly recognizable. Yet this campaign requires us to invest a little of ourselves. It requires us to put in a bit more effort and time.
We are pelted with ads and messages in everything from hotel mirrors to gas pumps to airport security bins. Tesco's campaign interrupts the pattern. We are less likely to tune it out, because we want to solve it. We need to solve it.
It makes us work to understand the message. It makes us a co-creator, in a way.
What does it have to do with better writing and storytelling?
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This week, a friend asked me for some feedback on a novel he's writing.
It's a strong plot with compelling characters. But I kept getting bogged down by description that was almost too spot-on, a little too accurate.
One scene places us in a run-down town. My friend's description of the town was complete and accurate—I knew that the town was forgotten. A shell of what it once was. Desperate. The writing explained it all in perfect detail.
And that was the bogged-down bit.
As a narrative, yes... it was complete. But it also said too much about the setting, the characters, the internal feelings of our hero visiting this forgotten place.
I was watching passively rather than investing actively in the story. Paradoxically, the specifics of the story made me engage less... not more.
It was the opposite of the Generation
Effect in play. Instead, it was the Presentation Effect—where information is simply given to you in a complete, prepackaged form. No mental work required.
I didn't need to actively build the story in my
mind. I didn't need my imagination. The writing had already filled in the blanks.
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So how do we use the Generation Effect to be stronger storytellers, writers, creators?
How can we encourage our reader to put in the mental effort?
How
can we prompt them to generate or complete information to create those stronger neural pathways and deeper processing that lead to better recall, better emotional connection, more investment?
...all
without overwhelming them?
I have 5 thoughts for you:
➡️ Write with gaps. Resist the urge to over-explain situations or problems your reader might have. Leave insights almost (but-not-quite) stated, so your readers fill in the gaps with their own experiences.
➡️ Use the Columbus Principle. It says people invest more completely in something when they discover or arrive at a conclusion themselves vs. its being directly stated to them.
Let your reader discover insight and ideas on their own. Lay breadcrumbs instead of always stating facts.
Let them see themselves in the narrative and the struggles you're describing.
➡️ Stage the reveal. Plant clues. Let readers start to form theories. Don't control things too tightly.
➡️ Use
questions that invite investment. Rather than making statements, ask progressive questions. "What keeps you up at night? What if you could solve it in half the time? What would you do with those extra hours?"
Don't give the answer. Trust the reader to answer for themselves.
➡️ Insert pause points. White space. Prompted reflections. ("Maybe you've
experienced this, too.") Micro moments that help your audience see themselves, their issues.
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Maybe you're thinking...Wait. Isn't the best writing detailed and specific? Shouldn't storytellers paint a picture? Shouldn't we say "taramasalata" instead of just "dip"?
Yes. I devote a whole chapter in Everybody Writes 2 to that.
But the trick is to be specific enough to be believable and vivid and recognizable (as coming only from you). Yet at the same time: leave room for the reader to make it their own.
Consider Tesco. The ad worked because of the brain science WITH the branding and tag line that could come only from Tesco.
And that's the point isn't it...?
To help our content and our brands be a little more connected.
A little more memorable.
A little more... well, us.
🐛 🍯 🐘 🥚 🐇 🍓!
