Hey - It's Carson.

I’m in NYC for the week, and I don’t know where we went wrong as a society, but I wish we had more fun adult amenities. Kids seem to get all the good stuff.

Fun fact: Babies used to hang outside windows to get some fresh air.

To give their babies some “proper fresh air,” parents in the 1920s would put toddlers outside their window in a wire-enclosed “baby cage.” It was invented in 1922, and these portable cages were mostly used by people living in apartments.

This begs the question: What were the ads to promote this product? Because I NEED to see them.

Not sure about you, but I wish they had these for adults today. We gave the kids all the fun. I don’t have children yet, but I am now planning on acquiring this for them in the future.

Anyway, I’ve got some more fun stuff for you instead, banger ads.

Oh, but before I forget, if you know someone who would benefit from or enjoy reading this newsletter, I’d be super grateful if you sent it their way.

Okay, now let’s get into it.

Ads of the Week

Bic, Dove, Sprints, Zorali, Dirt Pile Creative

Bic

🧠 Principle: Visual Metaphor

🖋️ Definition: Where an image is used to represent something else, often an abstract idea or concept.

💡 Why it works: Instead of explaining durability with paragraphs, why not just use a picture worth 1,000 words?

This BIC ad uses a simple visual metaphor (a single pen + the phrase Harry Potter saga), and you instantly understand the underlying idea that one BIC pen can last through writing thousands of pages.

It saves mental effort and “clicks” in seconds.

You never expect to see Harry Potter used as a “unit of measurement” for ink capacity, but it makes the ad funny, memorable, and by god does it make it shareable (I’ve seen this ad everywhere), all while reinforcing the product benefit.

Instead of “writes up to 2km of words,” BIC anchors the pen’s durability in a culturally relevant and iconic reference.

Dove

🧠 Principle: Temporal Anchoring

🖋️ Definition: We’re influenced by a specific date or time reference (the "anchor") when making judgments or estimations about events related to time, even if that anchor is irrelevant.

💡 Why it works: New Year’s Eve is a long ass night full of drinking and fun. So, the ad hooks you in by grounding the moment in a hyper-specific timestamp: “New Year’s, 3:22 AM.”

The specificity and exact time refer to the universal post-party crash moment when you have confetti in your hair, makeup still on, and exhaustion setting in.

By anchoring the product (soap/skincare) to a real-life scenario, Dove makes it impossible not to recall your own 3:22 AM struggles.

We naturally respond more strongly to things that feel personal, specific, and “that’s me.” Instead of vague lifestyle imagery, Dove zooms into a raw, unglamorous but absolutely true scenario (everyone wants to get unready after a big night out).

Oddly enough, the ultra-specific timestamp (“3:22 AM”) makes it feel universally relatable, because it paints such a vivid picture. People instantly recall their own version of that scene. Specificity, in all facets, sells.

Vagueness kills more ads than specificity ever did.

Sprints

🧠 Principle: Cognitive Fluency

🖋️ Definition: The subjective feeling of ease or difficulty associated with processing information.

💡 Why it works: In case you didn’t know, the “Running Hat Facts” format mimics a nutrition label (that was ~sarcasm~, I know you know).

It makes the info easy to skim, instantly familiar, and simple to process. Our brains love things that look organized and logical, even if the details are small and “playful” (if that’s what you wanna call it).

Instead of dry, boring features and specs, it mixes in cheeky lines like “Speed: Looks fast.” The twist makes the ad more memorable, and speaking from experience from doing this with a client, it crushes and adds a personal touch.

*Note: You must know how your customers speak to make this work.

People are more likely to recall funny information, especially when it surprises them in an otherwise serious format.

And, runners don’t just want a functional hat; they want to look and feel like real athletes. The “Looks fast” line gives them that identity aspiration. It’s less about fabric and more about how wearing the hat signals “I’m serious about running, but also have personality.”

Zorali

🧠 Principle: Availability Heuristic

🖋️ Definition: People rely on immediate examples when evaluating a decision.

💡 Why it works: We are more likely to believe, trust, and act when given a numbered list of reasons to buy because they act as a logical reasoning mechanism.

It satisfies our brain’s need for logic and justification (this occurs mostly BOF). By laying out 5 clear, concrete reasons why Merino base layers are superior, Zorali makes the purchase feel like a rational choice, even if the decision is driven emotionally by the cozy outdoorsy lifestyle pictured.

The list is short, scannable, and simple for cognitive fluency, and each reason is a single word or short phrase (“Moisture Wicking,” “Lightweight”), making it super easy to understand the value.

Simple. Clean. Effective.

Highly recommend this format to anyone needing BOF ads to rip numbers.

Dirt Pile Creative

🧠 Principle: Information Gap Theory

🖋️ Definition: Curiosity arises when there’s a gap in knowledge.

💡 Why it works: First off, the headline is freakin’ awesome. I know it just says, “Totally Legitimate Businesses”, but when you read that in your head, you subconsciously read it as sarcasm.

Then, by writing “Don’t Google them”, it creates a mental itch you gotta scratch because we hate incomplete information (Zeigarnik Effect).

Telling someone not to do something instantly makes them want to do it (I often am known for this). It’s the same reason “spoiler alerts” make you more curious.

The brand uses Reverse Psychology because instead of begging for attention, it tries to repel it, making people lean in.

It suggests there’s something “off-limits” or “hidden,” which makes the hats feel like inside jokes only the curious get to be part of.

I actually love this ad to death and think the products are not only funny af, but also super unique and do most of the marketing for the brand (this is popular with apparel).

Here's an ad I made for OpenAI

That’s all for this week. If anyone beats me to the punch and finds a cage for my future kids to hang outside a window, holla at me.

I’ll catch you next week. Till then.

Stay Mad,

-Carson 🧪

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