Hey - It's Carson.

Yes, there are a lot of “F*ck’s” in this week’s newsletter, but not from me (scroll for context). Anywho…

Fun fact: Cat urine glows under a black light. Due to containing phosphorus, cat urine glows brighter under an ultraviolet light.

Okay, now that we’ve gotten the important stuff out of the way, let’s get into the ads.

Ads of the Week

Norse Organics, Heights, Fi, Original Grain, Comforta

Norse Organics

🧠 Principle: Pratfall Effect

🖋️ Definition: When a brand shows imperfection, vulnerability, or real struggle, it becomes more likable and trustworthy.

💡 Why it works: You know how in kindergarten, all your teacher say, “Honesty is the best policy.”? Well, in advertising, it couldn’t be more true.

When you say, “I tried everything. I was pissed. I was defeated.” It builds trust and makes the product (& its effects) feel genuine, not like manufactured lies.

“F*ck acne” being used repetitively is a two-pronged approach here. On one hand, it stops the scroll because it’s a “vulgar” phrase. Second, because people who have acne, hate it.

It shows audiences: “We see you. We are you.” Which taps deep into a shared frustration, and when people feel seen, they pay attention. Especially when it feels like something to rally around instead of a sales pitch.

The message isn’t “buy our product.”

It’s: “If you’ve felt this defeated and over it, you’re one of us.”

Less about the brand and product, more about a movement and shared pain.

Heights

🧠 Principle: Exclusivity Framing

🖋️ Definition: Emphasizing the limited availability or unique characteristics of a product, service, person, or experience to create a sense of desirability and value.

💡 Why it works: While the headline isn’t anything that another brand couldn’t say, “This supplement isn’t for everyone,” it instantly creates FOMO and status tension.

When something’s exclusive, it feels more valuable.

It implies: “You have to be a certain kind of person to deserve this.”

We’re hardwired to chase what we can’t have. By making the product seem selective for a specific kind of person, it takes you from “Is this for me?” to “Am I good enough for this?”

Then the social identity kicks in with the follow-up line:

• The go-getters

• The early risers

• The late-night achievers

• The people chasing better sleep and peak performance

The subcopy frames it not just as a product, but as a legit identity.

If you identify with that group (or want to), you’re motivated to act to protect or claim that identity.

By saying, “It’s not for everyone,” it provokes people (tension = attention):

“Oh yeah? Bet I’m the exception.”

Psychological reactance is a natural tendency to do the opposite of what we’re told when we sense restriction.

So, there ya go, that’s why creating tension works.

Fi

🧠 Principle: Operant Conditioning

🖋️ Definition: Behavior is influenced by rewards and punishments.

💡 Why it works: Typically, when you see a taped-up poster with a dog’s face on a lamppost, your brain goes: “Oh no, another lost dog.”

But nope.

The first thing you notice is: “NOT LOST DOG,” and the break in expectation grabs your attention immediately because it interrupts a familiar situation where it is the OPPOSITE of what you think.

This is one of the most reliable ways to stop thumbs or spark curiosity IRL.

Lost pet signs normally make us sad, worried, or empathetic, but Fi’s ad gives us relief (Which is juxtaposed to what a normal lost dog sign would say).

And because of Operant Conditioning, we are motivated to avoid losing our dogs (loss aversion), so our behavior of acquiring Fi collars will keep us from succumbing to that outcome.

*S/o to Brennan for sharing this one.

Original Grain

🧠 Principle: Social Identity Theory

🖋️ Definition: How individuals define themselves and others based on group affiliations and desires.

💡 Why it works: If you want people to view your product a certain way, they need to view themselves the same way.

“Watches as unique & storied as the men who wear ’em” hits right at the core of self-expression for Original Grain’s audience.

Men who are unique and storied = internal desire & self-view

People don’t just buy watches to tell time, they buy them to tell their story and feel status or feel unique.

The watch becomes a symbol of identity: rugged, masculine, layered, and full of history.

Remember, we derive part of our self-concept from the groups we associate with, so this is a watch for guys who value grit, history, craftsmanship, and maybe a splash of bourbon.

Comforta

🧠 Principle: Visual Metaphor

🖋️ Definition: An image that represents one thing by associating it with something else that has similar characteristics or qualities.

💡 Why it works: In case you were wondering, yes, babies make us stop scrolling (Baby Schema Effect: we’re biologically primed to feel warmth and comfort when we see a baby). Every. Single. Time.

So, if you can include a baby in your ad (congruently), I’d recommend.

Okay, so you know the saying we have, “I slept like a baby.” Yeah, so that’s the metaphor.

BUT, the visual metaphor taps into the Peak-End Rule: we don’t remember all of our past experiences equally; we remember the emotional peak and the end.

Childhood sleep is recalled as peak-level comfort and sleep. Because our minds are clear and we’re always comfortable (because we’re pretty much useless when we’re little).

This ad reminds you of that emotional peak, making the product more desirable and the metaphor easy to understand.

Here's an ad I made for Sony

Okay, that’s all I’ve got for ya this week. If you want more content from me, check me out on all socials!

And if you’ve got ads you’d like to share for me to feature in here, hit my line.

Til next week.

Stay Mad,

-Carson 🧪

---

If you're new, subscribe here​!

P.S. Enjoy the newsletter? Feel free to forward this to your friends. It only takes 10 seconds. Writing this takes me about 10 hours every week.

Click here to see how my team and I can help you get your best-performing ads or book a meeting.