Hey - It's Carson.

I’m back from vacation. My cruise got canceled, so we stayed in FL for the week instead. Now, it’s back to work!

Fun fact: Nutmeg is a hallucinogen. The spice contains myristicin, a natural compound that has mind-altering effects if ingested in large doses.

So obviously, you know what I have to do next… I’ll report back with results and let you know if it gives me some creative ideas.

Hashtag, YOLO!

With that being said, let’s get into this week’s ads.

Ads of the Week

Endorfix, Create Creatine, Ocado, True Classic, Audi

Endorfix

🧠 Principle: Problem-Solution Framing

🖋️ Definition: Presenting a challenge or pain point and positioning a product or service as the ideal solution.

💡 Why it works: The well-known caffeine death spiral:

Caffeine spike → Jitters → Crash → Repeat.

It outlines a relatable problem by showing it in a never-ending cycle. Then immediately follows with a desirable and solution-oriented outcome: “Steady energy without the crash loop.”

People *cough*, (me) who drink coffee or energy drinks daily, may recognize themselves in this loop.

Recognizing that the crash cycle creates discomfort because we start to wonder if we’ll ever break it. The discomfort nudges us to consider change, and Endorfix positions itself as the guilt-free, digestion-free, calorie-free fix.

Create Creatine

🧠 Principle: Sensory Marketing

🖋️ Definition: Using sensory triggers to influence buying behavior.

💡 Why it works: I’m gonna be so real with you right now, the message in this one is pretty bland, but it’s a BOFU ad focusing on visual satisfaction, so I’ll let it slide.

That ultra-zoomed image of the gummy on the tongue triggers a vivid sensory response. You can practically taste the tart sugar, feel the texture, and anticipate the bite, which primes your brain for consumption by simulating the reward before it happens.

Think: “I can already feel this in my mouth.” (pause) 😶‍🌫️

Using an embodied cognition tactic (if your body feels it, your brain believes it) is a great way to get people to feel actual desire for your product.

The (mid) headline “If you weren’t taking creatine already, this is your sign to try it.” does two things:

1. Implies you're behind the curve.

2. Offers you a culturally coded "sign" that people look for when uncertain.

It creates urgency, curiosity, and the illusion of social proof. That other smart/high-performing people are already on board.

You've just gotta catch up.

Ocado

🧠 Principle: Reframing

🖋️ Definition: Changing the way people perceive a situation or product by presenting it in a new light.

💡 Why it works: Before I get into this, Ocado is like InstaCart, but in the UK. I didn’t know who they were, so I thought I’d clear the air.

Doing dishes at the end of the day along with any other chores sucks. Like, puts you in an annoyed mood type of sucks.

But Ocado reframes how you think about all of this, with a baby on your shoulders, they hit on our human experience of exhaustion and responsibility.

They’re trying to get you to say, “Yes,” so they can guide you further to ordering.

By listing things like “Long day,” “Stack of dishes,” and “Little helper,” the ad gives names to your stressors (Emotional Labeling). This technique (used in therapy and emotional marketing) helps the brain regulate emotion and build a connection.

Ocado isn't just delivering groceries anymore, but delivering relief from the chaos you don’t want to deal with sometimes.

And instead of sounding like everyone else saying, “We save you time!” they take a different route that says, “We save your sanity.”

Now THAT is how you use emotion in advertising. Great f**ckin’ ad.

True Classic

🧠 Principle: Identity Framing

🖋️ Definition: Using language and ideas to shape how individuals perceive themselves and others, particularly within the context of social movements or conflict situations.

💡 Why it works: The headline here is what makes this ad A1. It frames the polo not just as a shirt, but as a social signal of attractiveness and confidence.

It tells men: Wear this, and women will notice. It plays into our desire to attract a partner and places a great fitting tee by TC as the way to fulfill that desire.

This is our aspirational identity because it is what we want to have, be, or accomplish.

And instead of quoting testimonials or showing group consensus, it uses implied social proof: women approve of this shirt.

It’s an availability heuristic (a brain shortcut) for trust and desirability. Even if you don’t consciously register it, your brain hears: “If others love it, it must be good.”

The benefit callouts highlighting “4-way stretch,” “odor control,” “moisture wicking,” and “UPF 15+” feed the rational brain while the headline hits the emotional one.

It satisfies both the System 1 (impulsive) and System 2 (logical) decision-making modes, so you combine logic AND emotion. And while I don’t know how this ad performed, I’d be shocked if it flopped.

Audi

🧠 Principle: Association Bias

🖋️ Definition: The tendency to link emotions, qualities, or values from one thing to another simply because they appear together or are presented in a connected way.

💡 Why it works: Wimbledon x Audi using the four overlapping tennis balls to mimic Audi’s iconic four-ring logo is honestly pretty dang good.

It instantly triggers brand recognition without ever showing the “actual” logo. The association bias here is where your brain connects two unrelated things (tennis + Audi) to pair them together.

Now listen, the ad itself is not all that in terms of selling capability, but here’s why I actually really like it.

Given the association bias here, you have to think of Audi’s audience and Wimbledon’s audience. Both are premium, luxury, high-quality buyers.

The ad promotes the event and pairs the two as “Same class citizens” for anyone who goes to the event.

It’s more of a nudge, brand awareness ad than it is a direct response ad.

But positioning yourself for future buyers is part of marketing.

Here's an ad I made for Particle

That’s all for this week. If you want more of me (I pray for you), you can find me on all socials below.

Other than that, well, that’s it. Chat soon.

Stay Mad,

-Carson 🧪

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