Hey - It's Carson.

I’m back. And this week, I’ve got some BANGERS for you. But first things first…

Fun fact: Water is not wet. This is because most scientists define wetness as a liquid’s ability to maintain contact with a solid surface, meaning that water itself is not wet, but can make other objects wet.

Boom… mic. dropped. If you don’t believe me, here’s my source.

Now that I’ve successfully divided half the crowd, let’s get into this week’s best ads.

Ads of the Week

Smart Sweets, Feno, Miller Lite, Stand+, Ikea

Smart Sweets

🧠 Principle: Framing Effect

🖋️ Definition: How information is presented affects decisions.

💡 Why it works: If you want people to pick you over your competition, frame how you’re better. By going after “Airheads” with a double entendre (both the candy brand and the insult), Smart Sweets positions itself as the opposite (and healthier) alternative.

Smart, health-conscious, and better for you. It’s a genius (dare I say) comparison that makes you mentally rank them higher because of this frame.

It takes Airheads Candy as “empty calories,” a nutritional red flag, and uses it as a way to also say, “Airheads are airheads.”

The humor is great here, yes. But if someone sees themselves as health-conscious and is eating high-sugar candy, they feel mild dissonance, which nudges them toward switching to the “smarter” choice to align with their self-image.

I’m thinking I should’ve had Smart Sweets in school because this is a live look at my Math teachers all my life:

Feno

🧠 Principle: Contrast Effect

🖋️ Definition: We judge things relative to what precedes it.

💡 Why it works: By showing the evolution of the toothbrush from 3500 BC to 2025, the contrast frames the product as the next natural step in dental innovation (I feel so smart writing that).

This visual timeline primes you to believe that not adopting the latest model would be regressive (not sure I wanna live like a caveman, personally).

Placing the product in the same lineup as other advancements (manual → electric) implies that it’s bound to happen and to be accepted.

We trust things more when they’re shown as part of a proven progression. So, the historical timeline gets you to “trust” that this is where we’re heading.

The checkmarks translate tech specs into direct lifestyle benefits:

1. 20 seconds = speed & convenience

2. 360° coverage = no missed spots

3. 20,000 bristles = deeper, better cleaning

This subconsciously makes the product’s superiority understandable without needing extra explanation. Whether you’re aware of it or not, you understand what makes it better after reading those 3 things because they are already associated with outcomes.

Miller Lite

🧠 Principle: Curiosity Gap

🖋️ Definition: A gap in knowledge creates a desire to learn more, prompting people to seek out information to fill that gap.

💡 Why it works: One hack for getting people to read your ad… create curiosity.

“Only one thing will convince you Lite Beer is less filling.” creates open loop #1 in your brain. You’re left wondering, “What?” which pulls you in and makes you want to understand.

Then, you read, “Your second one.” and you close gap #1, but that opens gap #2. The second gap in knowledge is, “What exactly makes this beer so light?” Annnnd you read the body copy. Loop’s closed.

Rather than relying only on facts or stats, it invites you to experience the product. The first beer proves it tastes good, the second proves it’s less filling.

By framing your “trial” as two beers, they’re encouraging you to commit to more than just one. Once you drink the first (and like it), you’re more likely to have the second, reinforcing the “less filling” claim.

Stand+

🧠 Principle: Anchoring

🖋️ Definition: Initial information influences perceptions of value.

💡 Why it works: By using the product inside a “Your Gym Checklist,” the ad anchors it alongside must-have gym essentials (headphones, towel, water bottle).

This positions the recovery shoes not as something equally necessary to all the other stuff included.

The first four checklist items are expected, everyday gym items, the kind we mentally skim past. Then comes the curveball: “Recovery shoes for ultimate relief.”

“Towel you’ll forget” uses a relatable, funny situation (I’ve done this many times) and builds on the moment people relate to. It makes you more receptive to the product pitch because it feels like the brand gets you.

The product benefit (“ultimate relief”) is highlighted in a bright, high-contrast neon bar, pulling you straight to the main selling point after scanning the list.

Ikea

🧠 Principle: Humor Effect

🖋️ Definition: Humorous messages are more engaging and memorable.

💡 Why it works: The absurdity of the “review” ("I want forgive the dolphin?") is random, unexpected, and funny.

Humor increases our recall because it triggers an emotional response.

Most mattress ads use comfort, feature-based, or discount offers to get you to buy. But Ikea, being the masters they are, flips into something funny that grabs attention and creates curiosity (“Wait… what is going on here?”).

And by saying, “Real mattress reviews from real sleep talkers,” they use authenticity bias (consumers trust real, unscripted content more than polished brand copy) to build trust and use it as a “review”.

Even though the “review” is nonsensical, it implies the mattress is so comfortable that people sleep deeply enough to talk in their sleep.

10/10 and probably my favorite of the week.

Here's an ad I made for Vacation

That’ll do it for this week. As always, if you’re crazy enough to want more content from me, be sure to follow me on other socials below.

And if you enjoyed this week’s newsletter, feel free to forward this to your friends. It only takes 10 seconds. Writing this takes me about 10 hours every week.

(“Wow, Carson, that’s a lot!”)

(I know.)

Anyway, till next week!

Stay Mad,

-Carson 🧪

---

If you're new, subscribe here​!

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