Hey - It's Carson.

Welcome back to Madvertising. Yes, I moved to Beehiiv. Noticed that many of you who subscribed weren’t getting my emails due to unconfirmed or broken sequences.

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Fun fact: A silverback gorilla can lift over 1,763 pounds. And yes, I’m taking the 100 humans to win. Every. Single. Time. Especially if they have garlic breath (context to follow).

That being said, the ads I’ve got for you this week are heaters. So let’s break them down.

Ads of the Week

Rose in Good Faith, Signal, Heinz, Old Spice, JBL

Rose in Good Faith

🧠 Principle: Comparative Framing

🖋️ Definition: Comparisons between entities, issues, or situations shape perceptions and influence decisions.

💡 Why it works: I don’t know about you, but “Not made from unused s*x toys” got my attention real fast. It’s absurd, jarring, and hysterical (that’s the point).

Even though it’s not the headline, it grabs attention, makes the brand memorable, and signals they don’t take themselves too seriously. It’s literally disruptive by design.

Rather than listing all their own shoe features, they instead pick apart the flaws of others:

1. Yeezy Foam Runners: No arch support

2. Crocs: Socially divisive

3. New Balance: Not waterproof

4. Balenciaga: Not upcycled from “s*x toys” (shots fired)

This is inverted “social proof”. It’s not “we’re the best,” it’s “everyone else sucks in a way you didn’t even realize.”

Psychologically, this works by using contrast bias and comparative framing:

When choices are compared side-by-side, the differences become exaggerated. Wearing these shoes isn't just about comfort or even function.

It’s about:

1. Being eco-conscious (made from recycled “toys”)

2. Aware of hype culture but anti-mainstream

3. In on the joke of everyone else

We buy products that align with our identity or the identity we want to project. Saying the shoes are made from unused s*x toys? That’s weird. That’s different. That’s memorable.

It builds trust through uniqueness and blatant honesty that’s probably TIM, no one else can say that they’re made from s*x toys (at least that I’m aware of). And in a world of copycat sneakers, that’s everything.

Signal

🧠 Principle: Reverse Psychology

🖋️ Definition: A persuasion technique where someone encourages a desired behavior by suggesting or urging the opposite.

💡 Why it works: Most ads scream for your attention. This one? “We’re not interested.” Bro… that instantly makes me more interested.

Telling people you don’t care about them paradoxically makes your message feel more honest and rebellious, and therefore more compelling.

Signal’s refusal to pry is the exact opposite of the tech status quo (where everyone wants your data), making them stand out by leaning away instead of in.

Reactance Theory is that emotional pushback you feel when your freedom is being threatened. Signal uses this to remind you: “Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, etc. are all snooping on you.”

Then they play the hero: “We don’t care. Your business is yours.” This appeals our desire for autonomy (especially when it comes to digital privacy).

They never mention competitors. But they don’t need to. They imply it through what they don’t do:

1. “We don’t care about your gossip” → Meta

2. “We’re not tracking your shopping” → Google

3. “We’re minding our own business” → Literally every other data-hungry app

Define who you are by clearly stating who you’re not.

“If you use Signal, you’re the kind of person who values privacy, boundaries, and freedom. You’re not a mindless scrolling zombie.”

Heinz

🧠 Principle: Visual Metaphor

🖋️ Definition: An image that suggests an association or similarity, representing a concept, idea, or emotion by using imagery or symbolism.

💡 Why it works: At first, this bad boy just looks like a typical newspaper… until you realize the ENTIRE center of the ad is blank.

Why?

Because the garlic sauce is so strong… it cleared out every potential date in a dating section. The Heinz bottle is sitting dead center like a volcano that just wiped out the Hawaiian islands.

The core message: This sauce has real power.

The beauty of it? Heinz didn’t say it, they showed it.

Humor increases attention span and recall, while exaggeration makes the brand stand out by not making repeatable claims like “great taste” or “rich flavor.”

Nobody gives a f*ck about that. If you like strong garlic sauce, this shit is for you buster.

There’s almost no text. No headline. Just A bottle. A label. A deadzone. And one line: “EXTRA STRONG GARLIC SAUCE”

When you use visual metaphors, you can use clearer and less unique messaging because the context itself makes the message different.

Old Spice

🧠 Principle: Incongruity Theory of Humor

🖋️ Definition: Humor arises from the perception of something unexpected, illogical, or out of place.

💡 Why it works: Normally, brands use actual doctors in white coats to endorse their products to trigger our authority bias (we trust people in positions of expertise).

But in this case, Old Spice does the exact opposite. "Body odor protection recommended by former TV doctors, like me."

They’re poking fun of typical ads with a fictional doctor (Neil Patrick Harris, who played one on TV), mocking the marketing technique people have grown skeptical of.

It’s disarming. It’s clever. And it’s so on brand for Old Spice.

They have built a brand on absurd, over-the-top masculinity and satirical advertising. So instead of being another boring brand claiming “24-hour protection,” it just says, “Here’s the truth. We don’t need a real doctor to tell you this works.”

Self-Deprecation = Trust

Lines like: “Take it from me, I used to be a fake doctor.” ...disarm the viewer with honesty and irony.

And it just shows people you’re not pretending to be what you’re not.

Just try the damn deodorant.

JBL

🧠 Principle: Embodied Cognition

🖋️ Definition: A theory in cognitive science that proposes that cognition, or the ability to think and understand, is deeply intertwined with and shaped by the body's physical state and its interactions with the environment.

💡 Why it works: My 5th rule for every ad I create is, “Does this make me feel something?”

Well, this ad literally makes you feel a physical sensation. You don’t even hear music, but your brain puts two and two together. You know the feeling.

Goosebumps are associated with a deep emotional response. Like the kind you get when a song makes you feel some type of way.

Now, physiologically speaking, the image activates your mirror neurons, making you feel what’s not physically happening. Which is kinda crazy our brains can do that.

JBL doesn’t show a speaker. Doesn’t mention bass, treble, or battery life. They show you a tactile response from their product utility to emotional experience.

No product photos. No specs. No bullet points. Just a feeling.

Funny how you get so much from an ad that says so little.

Here's an ad I made for Duolingo

Well, that's all for this week. Hope you enjoyed this week’s ads. If you did, answer the poll below to let me know what you think.

And if you really wanna give some in-depth feedback, feel free to reply to this email with your thoughts.

Catch you next week.

Stay Mad,

- Carson 🧪

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