Hey - It's Carson.

I’m in Georgia (the state) right now. But I found an insane fun fact about the ad industry this week…

Fun fact: The most expensive ad ever was created by Chanel in 2004. It’s a full romance short film. The ad cost $33 million to make, $3 million of which were given to Nicole Kidman, who starred in the ad.

You can watch it below:

Anyway, these ads cost about 0.01% of that, and I’m gonna give you the psychology behind it for free, because we’re friends.

Here are this week’s best ads and why they work…

Ads of the Week

Valueca, Seed, AG1, Body Tales, Life

Valueca

🧠 Principle: Contrast Effect

🖋️ Definition: A cognitive bias where the perception of something is intensified or distorted when immediately juxtaposed or compared with a different option.

💡 Why it works: Before we start, please remember this: always put your brand on the right side when comparing it to another. We read left to right, and if you end with your brand on the right, it’s easier to understand and decreases friction.

Left: A sloth represents the traditional, painfully slow customer onboarding process. It’s paired with a long, exhausting checklist that feels like a burden just by looking at it.

Right: A cheetah symbolizes speed and efficiency, matched with a drastically shorter, simpler process (only 2 steps).

This side-by-side comparison frames the product as the superior option because our brains process differences better when they’re exaggerated and placed in direct contrast.

It’s a problem-solution formatted ad too, that clearly shows you what you have v.s. what you’re missing out on.

The processing fluency of the shorter list and the animals makes it easy to understand. When something feels easy, people tend to judge it as more trustworthy and appealing.

Seed

🧠 Principle: Problem-Solution Framing

🖋️ Definition: A framing technique that presents a struggle or problem, then immediately gives the solution to avoid that pain.

💡 Why it works: The ad lists out the specific problems people face with digestion (painful, weird, hard, loose, infrequent poops), and crosses them off one by one to show the benefit and solution of taking Seed.

They stripped the language down to the most basic, universally understood phrasing: “poops.” And talking about “poops” in a serious medical ad context is… interesting, to say the least, but it’s done in a harmless and lighthearted way.

It’s not graphic or too absurd to turn people away, but it's inviting enough for them to relate and see themselves struggling with the same issues and wanting a solution.

Instead of overcomplicating with gut flora science, Seed reduces the benefit down to a single, relatable outcome: “Regular poops.”

Since we have a bias for simplicity, it makes it 10x more trustworthy and credible.

AG1

🧠 Principle: Expectation Reversal

🖋️ Definition: A shift from an expected outcome to an unexpected one to encourage reframing and cognitive recall.

💡 Why it works: Most supplement ads just talk about what they are (energy boosts, detoxes, fat burning, or miracle cures).

But AG1 said, “Na, hold my beer.” It does the opposite; by explicitly saying “Not a boost, kick, or cure,” it surprises you because it is not what you expect (hence the principle).

The reversal creates a sense of trust because it feels honest in an industry known for lying and bullshitting its way to getting customers.

People want simple solutions to complex problems (especially in health). So by reducing AG1 down to “Just your daily micronutrient routine,” it communicates ease, consistency, and reliability.

Instead of promising unrealistic overnight changes, it promises something attainable: a healthy daily habit that’s quick and easy.

Make your customers’ lives easy, make them trust you, and give them a reason to care.

Body Tales

🧠 Principle: Visual metaphor

🖋️ Definition: An image that represents an idea, feeling, or story by associating it with something else.

💡 Why it works: I don’t feel like there’s much explaining needed on this one, so I’ll just leave you with this:

If you can create a striking visual that gets people’s attention AND shows your value, you'll win.

It uses the visual metaphor to communicate loss aversion behind “SPF or NO SPF”. You either protect your skin and it stays stuntin’ or you don’t and you become a wrinkly apple.

Life

🧠 Principle: Reframing

🖋️ Definition: A technique that involves changing the way you perceive a situation to alter its emotional context, often shifting from a negative or challenging viewpoint to a more positive, constructive, or realistic one.

💡 Why it works: The original negative statement is: “Mum, I hate fish!”

But by “splatting” ketchup over the word hate, you see “ate” and it reframes the message that with Life ketchup, even foods kids normally reject (like fish) become enjoyable.

It highlights the difference between eating plain fish (boring, unliked) and eating fish with Life Ketchup (delicious, acceptable) to show you that Life Ketchup makes shit food good.

The (metaphorical) contrast makes the ketchup appear like it’s a miracle worker, turning a negative into a positive.

And while I was never a picky eater, a ton of parents out there know this struggle. This ad speaks directly to them and addresses that frustration and offers ketchup as their solution (to their sanity).

Here's an ad I made for AMEX

That’s all for this week.

If you want more sick and awesome content from me, check me out on all socials (even YouTube starting next week).

Other than that, I’d really appreciate it if you shared this with a friend who you think would enjoy it!

Till next week.

Stay Mad,

-Carson 🧪

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