Hey - It's Carson.

Quick reminder that snitches get stitches (context below).

Fun fact: In 2006, a Coca-Cola employee attempted to sell company secrets to Pepsi for $1.5 million.

Joya Williams, a secretary at Coca-Cola's headquarters, was caught after Pepsi alerted Coca-Cola and the FBI. Pepsi's decision to notify Coca-Cola was praised as a display of corporate responsibility and upholding industry standards.

Note to self: If you want to make a shit ton of money, sell trade secrets to competitors. Just make sure your competitors aren’t lame snitches.

Anyway, I’ve collected some bangin’ ads for you this week, so to keep myself from yapping about random stuff, let’s just get into the goods.

Here are this week’s top 5 ads…

Ads of the Week

Parker Pens, Neutonic, Mott & Bow, Thesis, Philips

Parker Pens

🧠 Principle: Contrast Bias

🖋️ Definition: When the perception or evaluation of something is influenced by comparing it to a differing stimulus.

💡 Why it works: If you want people to buy your product, give contrast. It’s a reference point we can anchor to.

Top image: scratchy, weak ink = “cheap fibre-tip pen” after just a lunch break.

Bottom image: smooth, bold script = “Parker pen” left uncapped overnight.

By juxtaposing the low-quality pen against the premium one, Parker earns the right to elevate their perception of value.

The thing is, it’s not about how good Parker is; it’s about how much better it is than the alternative.

Plus, they perfectly add value by addressing objections before they lose people by saying the following after they share it: “Which might seem a bit steep. Until you think how many cheap fibre-tip pens you’ve had to throw away.”

Instead of framing the Parker pen as “expensive,” it’s now the smart choice that will SAVE you money in the long run. It gives you rational permission to pay more by preemptively answering the “Why should I spend that much?” question.

#defensewinschampionships

Pro tip: prime people to see your pen as something to keep, not toss.

Why? Because it triggers the endowment effect: once someone imagines ownership of something high-quality, they value it more than its market price.

The more durable and personalized the product feels, the stronger this gets.

Neutonic

🧠 Principle: Framing Effect

🖋️ Definition: The way information is presented, which can significantly influence how people perceive and react to that information, ultimately impacting their decisions.

💡 Why it works: I talk a lot about specificity, and boy, do I love this ad because of it. “6 hours of back-to-back meetings.”

That line is freakin’ money. It doesn’t just describe a problem vaguely; it digs into it. The more specific you are, the more context you can give, the more pain you can evoke.

It’s the kind of day where your brain’s fried, your eyes are dry, and your soul left the Zoom call with your supervisor three hours ago.

Then… “Sometimes, you just need to focus.” Boom.

The solution lands softly in your feed but doesn’t scream. It whispers, “You know exactly when you need this.” And if the scenario applies to you, you probably are going to buy.

When a mental state is easy to recall (like meeting-induced brain fog), people are more likely to overestimate how often it happens and act to prevent it.

Positioning it as a “productivity drink” (not an energy drink) reframes its category. No frat bro crash out on a Saturday. Just clean, cognitive performance.

Mott & Bow

🧠 Principle: Social Proof

🖋️ Definition: A psychological phenomenon where people copy the actions of others to guide their behavior, especially in ambiguous situations.

💡 Why it works: That “88%” stat is the star of this show. Not typical, specific, bold, and believable.

Humans rely on heuristics (mental shortcuts) like “If a bunch of people love it, it must be good.”

Even if you question the stat’s scientific validity, your brain goes:

“Huh… maybe this is legit,” and it creates a bandwagon effect.

Nobody wants to do squats (at least I don’t with my knees & hips). So when the ad says: "There was simply no need!" it short-circuits the mental effort vs reward tradeoff.

The jeans promise a shortcut to the same outcome (a juicier butt) without the work.

And to be clear, humans love making things easier. So the effort justification theory is applied in reverse, removing the need to justify suffering for results.

Thesis

🧠 Principle: Identity Framing

🖋️ Definition: The process where we use communication to construct and present a specific vision of a shared identity to influence perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors.

💡 Why it works: Porn. Social media. Sugar.

Each one is crossed out and emotionally loaded. These are dopamine-driven habits that many people feel guilty about. Plus, porn is an eye-catching word because it’s considered “culturally naughty,” so we feel the need to assess it.

Interrupting that pattern forces attention to the ad and gets people to try and understand what the hell is going on.

“Tired of chasing dopamine?” makes you experience discomfort if your current self doesn’t match your ideal self.

You don’t want to be the guy addicted to scrolling, sugar, and softcore. You want to be clear-headed, focused, and disciplined.

Thesis steps in as the bridge. And ta-da, they become the hero.

Philips

🧠 Principle: Loss Aversion

🖋️ Definition: We value potential losses more than potential gains.

💡 Why it works: Mold is flat out disgusting. I don’t know about you, but if something I have has mold, it’s trashed.

Seeing half a pie rotting triggers disgust + the emotional sting of waste. You don’t want to be the person with spoiled food. It’s avoidable, gross, and your fault… unless you own a Philips fridge.

The product isn’t framed by what it adds—it’s framed by what it protects you from LOSING.

People who have a Philips fridge don’t need to worry about food molding fast. So if you want to avoid that (loss aversion), get a Philips.

What I love is that the image does all the storytelling. No need for product specs or copy overload.

And by presenting both outcomes in one visual (fresh vs. spoiled), they show the perceived difference in product quality.

Here's an ad I made for Heinz

That’s all for this week. If you want more of me, check me out on socials and keep up with me there.

And if you wanna be a part of my $1.5M diabolical plan, hit my line. (Still working out the details though)

Anyway, I’ll catch you next week. Til then.

Stay Mad,

-Carson 🧪

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