
Need a simple psychology tactic to test this week? Here’s one that you’re probably already doing…just not on purpose. 😅 This super simple psychology tactic could boost the persuasiveness of your ads by 10.3%, and it’s literally copy and...
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Nate
Foreign. Welcome back to Brain Driven Brands, hosted by Sarah Levinger. I'm Nate. We got producer Scotty in the studio, and let me just first say we're all a little pissed off, so let's just get that energy we're all having.
Sarah Levinger
Frustrating, actually having, like, a relatively okay day, like.
Nate
Oh, shut the up. That's so annoying. Aren't you empathy girl? How about you feel?
Sarah Levinger
I'm feeling what you're feeling. I just. I haven't experienced what you're experiencing.
Nate
Okay, well, it's just me, Scotty, I guess, but whatever. What do you want to talk about today, sir?
Sarah Levinger
Today, I. We're just gonna jump right in for anybody who's having a bad day. I am so sorry. The toughest part about bad days, I think, is that, like, you re the. Yeah. Scotty says, great open. That wasn't an open. We don't do opens. If you haven't listened to this show, welcome. It's about to get weird. Bad days, they tend to happen on the days where, like, I don't. I can't afford to have a bad day today. And then I just do, like. Like, this is just the day now, and so the whole thing is shit. And then, I don't know. I just don't do well for the rest of the week because it affects me heavily.
Nate
So I feel like I'm the opposite where, like, my bad days are where I don't have anything to do, and I just sit and think about, oh, really?
Sarah Levinger
Maybe I just have too much to do all the time because I have two kids, I have a business, and like, every time it's like, oh, quick.
Nate
To bring up the kids thing. Gosh, I know you're.
Sarah Levinger
I'm sorry. Scotty's question. Do people buy more when they're having a bad day? It depends on what the product is.
Nate
Liquor and candy. Yeah.
Sarah Levinger
Yeah. I. I think people buy more of, like, the treat type thing because you need the dopamine to fix all the negative feelings that you're having, right?
Nate
Yeah.
Sarah Levinger
So, Yeah, I mean, I. 100. I think that's probably a thing. Okay. Today, though, I have a study for you because we do these little, like. What do you call them? Like, study pop quizzes, basically. Yeah.
Nate
I kind of think I've ever gotten one right. For the record, I don't know if anyone's given score on this.
Sarah Levinger
I think you have. This one's interesting, though, just because it's. This is something you already use. So for anybody who haven't seen this segment before, 0 to 28. What does that mean, Scotty?
Nate
You mean that I'm over 28? Oh, guesses. Thanks, Scotty.
Sarah Levinger
I'm reading all of Scotty's like, comments today because I'm very distracted. My brain is all over the place. So like he'll bring a comment in and then I have to immediately read it. Okay. Anyways, studies. Usually I like to come on here and quiz Nate to see if he has a decent amount of psychology based marketing knowledge. And so far, none. Not none yet. But to his credit, he's a very smart gentleman. He also has tested a lot of these things and some of them have worked incredibly well. I don't know if you've tested that haven't worked. Have you tested any that haven't worked? Like from real world studies?
Nate
No, the ones I think won't work, we just don't test.
Sarah Levinger
Wow.
Nate
Which is probably not great, but no, everything. Like, I think the only ones that have lost have been like, even or close. Like nothing's like absolutely the bed. But the ones that have won are winning by 20 and 30.
Sarah Levinger
I was gonna say one of the ones that comes to mind recently that was like a different study that I just was like weirded out was the rounded buttons. Yeah, the rounded square things. Do you guys. You guys still use that?
Nate
Yep. Yeah. Rounded buttons on your CTAs in the emails and the website are driving more clicks.
Sarah Levinger
Rounded buttons, people. I have an episode on this. I'll link it in the show notes. But like, go listen to that episode because it's the craziest thing I've ever heard. Rounded buttons get more clicks than sharp.
Nate
Sarah. And just to provide a little more context there, Sarah tweeted that and I was like, that's bullshit. And then I screenshot it and sent it to my right hand guy and I said, hey, can you just test this? And tested it in one. And I was like, fuck.
Sarah Levinger
I appreciate you were like, that's. But you tested it anyways. Because I have quite a few people that follow me. Like a small group of people who say that's. And they never test it.
Nate
Yeah, no test.
Sarah Levinger
Or I have a lovely gentleman who's been following me for a little bit who's like, have you ever tested any of this personally? And I'm like, I don't have to.
Nate
Because the scientists real research studies, you know, I.
Sarah Levinger
It's up to you. You can either take like just the opinions of a lot of different people or I mean, you could base it on science. It's entirely up to you. And how you want to. Your call, your call. You do what you do. I don't answer him when he goes on, like, starts creeping on all of my posts. I just don't answer because I'm like, sir, I don't need this in my life anyways. Okay, back to the study. So if you want to make your claim in your ad more persuasive, you'll use this specific tactic, and it has to do with a number. Claims are more persuasive when you use this specific tactic. It's a number.
Nate
Is it doing like a specific number, like saying it's 41% off instead of saying it's 40% off?
Sarah Levinger
That actually works? Yes. That's another one that I've studied that. Like, that's not this one. Specificness. Not this one. Nope, nope. This is.
Nate
I know.
Sarah Levinger
I don't know how to. Okay, you got it.
Nate
Or maybe I don't. Is it a call to action that's worked well that you told me to test was like, don't take. Choose yours today. Say, choose one today.
Sarah Levinger
That was such a good one. Oh, that one's worked well for us.
Nate
All right.
Sarah Levinger
Okay. So the research in particular around the power of threes, power of using things in groups of three, says that if stick with groups of three, it's more persuasive. Like, your claim is a little bit more, I don't know, digestible. So. And this is not just text. It's not just like bullets of three. It could also be products in groups of three.
Nate
Well, you know, one of our best performing ad formats is that that trio of watches that we literally call, like, the trio 100.
Sarah Levinger
I was like, oh, damn, Nate. Actually, yes, that's super interesting. So groups of three. There's like some sort of a power of three that came from a 1979 study that found that the message is much more persuasive when it's repeated three times compared to one or five. So for some reason, the message, the repetition of the message in three is, like, crazy important. Weirdest thing I've ever seen. Now my question is, what happens if you take a headline and repeat it three times in an ad? Does that increase any sort of, like, persuasiveness or conversions or purchase intent? Clicks. What will it do if you have a headline that just says, I don't know, like, like your. Your whiskey headline? That's a long headline to test. But what would it do if you just did it three times?
Nate
Or if we took a. A chunk of it and we're like, he's worth it. He's worth it. He's worth it.
Sarah Levinger
Yes.
Nate
So get him a gift that shows him smart. Something like that. Like, that emphasizes the core of emotion because it just.
Sarah Levinger
It hits the brain a little differently than just if you say one message, one time, he's worth it. Right. That hits. But they've already read so much. They've already seen so much in this role today already. But if they land on your ad and it repeats itself, he's worth it. He's worth it. He's worth it. Holy God. Now you have this. Like, he is. Oh, my God. Like, I agree with this ad. I identify. Right. With this ad, which is something that Sarah talks about a lot. So this is. It's just fascinating. I think that it's specifically three, not four.
Nate
Yeah. So, like, it's not just that more is better because 4 and 5 are worse than 3.
Sarah Levinger
It's. Yeah, it's not more because it says the effect doesn't work when you use four, five, one or two. It's only three.
Nate
So it's really interesting because I know, like, you're like, everyone likes a list of three. Like, yes. It's like, hey, like, it's this, this, and this. We are used to that cadence. Yeah. I think it's digestible. It's not too much.
Sarah Levinger
Yeah, yeah.
Nate
And this. And it's interesting because, like, for most of the copy I'm running through right now, like, we use two adjectives.
Sarah Levinger
Okay.
Nate
Not three. We'll say, you know, rugged and dependable, smooth and unique, classic and storied. We go adjectives and pairs. But should we just narrow in on the one adjective that's working the best and say it three times? Or do you think we turn them into lists of three?
Sarah Levinger
I don't know. It's. If it's the same. So what you're talking about is like, you have.
Nate
I'm doing a different thing.
Sarah Levinger
Like, yeah, that, that.
Nate
Look at that audience. She gave me the answer, and I'm still not right. Oh, for 30.
Sarah Levinger
Okay. So for. Okay. Just from this study, what they're talking about is repeating. Repeating one thing, specific claim. So if you have different elements in your benefit driven headline, I don't think that's quite the same. You could, though, go after this is rugged. This is rugged. This is rugged. If you wanted to. Or what would be an interesting test. How many different ways can we say rugged? Right. We could try rugged in three different formats. Like, we could look that up right now.
Nate
Actually, I've seen ads that say the Same thing in three different fonts.
Sarah Levinger
Oh, that's. Okay. So that's interesting. I saw rugged, like three different terms for the same kind of concept.
Nate
Like synonyms. Is that you're getting at?
Sarah Levinger
Yes.
Nate
No, I'm not.
Sarah Levinger
I thought you were making fun of me.
Nate
No, I'm asking, like, are you trying to, like, just. Okay, yes. God. She says she's not in a bad.
Sarah Levinger
Mood, and then rude, first of all.
Nate
Jumps at me for that.
Sarah Levinger
I was distracted by my phone call, which was already irritating because it. See, freaking psychology, man. The phone irritated me, and so I got irritated and Nate, and it wasn't even his fault. This is what I'm telling you. Don't like that humans are scary. So anyways, I think just fifteen hundred.
Nate
Dollars, you'll be fine.
Sarah Levinger
I think you could probably use the same term over and over and over. I also think that you could use one word that's just described three different ways. But for what you're describing, it sounds like you have like, several different adjectives. Like several different descriptions of this person in one headline. I don't know if repeating that would do anything.
Nate
Yeah, no, I like, like doing in an ad that's like, he's worth it. He's worth it. He's worth it.
Sarah Levinger
Yeah.
Nate
Show him with a gift as unique and stored as he is. Yeah, like, that's gonna crush. Yeah, that would be before the day is over.
Sarah Levinger
That would be fascinating because it just. It's so visceral. It also leans a little bit towards, especially if you can make it rhyme. There's like a lot of science and research around making things rhyme. Hits better in the brain. That's why in the 90s, I'm so sad we don't do this anymore. There was jingles everywhere. Freaking Wendy's had a jingle, right? McDonald's had a jingle. Walmart had a jingle. Like, everybody kind of had this little song, this little ditty that they use to just jive that deep into somebody's head. We don't do it anymore. And it makes me so sad. The taste is gonna move you move up, move it out. But TAST is going to move you.
Nate
When you pop it in your mouth.
Sarah Levinger
Juicy through, it's going to move you. It's got a taste. It gets right to you. Juicy proof. The taste is. I. I wish there were more jingles.
Nate
That's on the board for me next year. Original grain, a country music sound.
Sarah Levinger
You should, you should. It should. It should definitely be akin to like. One of my favorite jingles ever was the hold the pickles, hold the lettuce Special order, don't upset us hold the pickle, hold the lettuce Special orders, don't upset us so we ask you that you let us serve it your way. I'm singing a lot and my. I don't know what's happening. It's just. In a singing mood.
Nate
No, but I like this a lot because, like, we've tested our headlines to death as you. You know. And like every test that's one, it. It wins by wide margin. We also know that most people just aren't reading it.
Sarah Levinger
Yeah.
Nate
Like, not really.
Sarah Levinger
They're skimming. Yeah.
Nate
Like, it's. It's crazy how much this stuff is working, knowing that people are skimming it or just looking at the watch and ignoring the headline anyway.
Sarah Levinger
Yes.
Nate
But an ad where, like, it's unavoidable to be like, he's worth it, he's worth it, he's worth it. Well, now show him with this gift.
Sarah Levinger
Is like, yeah, yeah.
Nate
I think it's going to force people into being like, hey, feel the emotion. I demanding right now.
Sarah Levinger
Like, feel it right now.
Nate
Yes. Unavoidable.
Sarah Levinger
I'm wondering too, and this is something that, like, I have a hypothesis on that I just think is funny, if it actually is true, which according to some of the scientific studies I've read, it probably is. Humans are very, very sensitive to, like, little things in the environment because your subconscious is scanning. Right. So subconscious mind is where 95% of our decisions are made. We've talked about this a little bit before, but for anybody who doesn't know, you're not making a whole lot of decisions consciously, most of them are just coming out. It's just happening. Right. The interesting part about that is the brain is actually looking at everything it sees. The eyes are taking in all of it. So if you look around your office, every little detail that's coming in is not something you're consciously, like, aware of, but your brain is. Right. Like, it's just looking at all this stuff. So I have a hypothesis that format actually makes a huge difference in advertising, specifically when it comes to text. Right. So in general, we just did an episode on this, like a couple weeks ago. Italicized font increases clicks by 3x right. How you put things in order. So if you do. He's worth it, he's worth it. He's worth it. Just be just by way that it's the same exact formatting on three different lines. I think because of the way it looks, people will stop on it. Not Necessarily what the message is. This happens on Twitter all the time. Some of the best, like, performing pieces of content that I make just have interesting formatting. The concept isn't really that great, but the formatting is weird.
Nate
I think this is something that, that goes against, like the narrative right now about ad creative where, like, everyone's big on this. Like, your ad shouldn't look like an ad. If you know how to write a good ad, it's okay that it looks like an ad.
Sarah Levinger
Yeah, yeah.
Nate
And like, I think that's what we're talking about here, because a static image that says he's worth it three times on it with a call to action will obviously look like an ad. But because it's predicated on human emotions and it's targeted to who and when that person is ready to buy, then who cares if it looks like an ad, they're going to notice it and it does its job as an ad a hundred percent.
Sarah Levinger
One hundred percent. I don't, I don't think ads are bad. In fact, people pay a lot of money to go look at ads sometimes. Like, I don't think we understand the Super Bowl. People actually love watching the super bowl because of the ads.
Nate
Yeah.
Sarah Levinger
Not, I mean, they're there for the football teams as well and for like the halftime show, but for the most part, we sit there and like, eat our popcorn like, as fast as we can just so that we can be a captive part of the audience of this ad show. Not necessarily a football thing.
Nate
Yeah. And I think that's, that's a myth we should have dispelled on our myth busting episode.
Sarah Levinger
Oh, we need another one of those.
Nate
People don't dislike ads. They dislike shitty ads.
Sarah Levinger
Yeah, yeah, that's it.
Nate
They just don't like shitty good advertising. People love and celebrate you. People that don't work in marketing. Jaguar campaign didn't hit that mark. Right. Everyone hates it and that's fine. But Jaguar's also been struggling, so they threw a Hail Mary out there. Whatever is what it is. But no, people don't like. People don't dislike advertising. They dislike bad advertising.
Sarah Levinger
Yeah. Yeah. Well, this is sort of segue, but, like, people were talking about, well, Jaguar did exactly what they wanted to do. Right. No. Bad press is what people were trying to say. But I, I keep coming back to the fact of, like, let's see what their sales do in the next three years.
Nate
Yeah, it's a good question.
Sarah Levinger
It doesn't matter if they got traction. Exactly. A viral ad means literally nothing if you don't sell. If nothing sells, it's irrelevant. Great for them. They got traction. Technically, there is no bad press if you're just going for a viral ad, but if you're trying to save a brand who's currently going down, you need. You need to think about it.
Nate
Yeah. I'm not buying a Jaguar. I don't know what's on your Christmas or wasn't on it before. It's not on it now.
Sarah Levinger
100. Hi, there. Okay.
Nate
Yeah, I don't know.
Sarah Levinger
Back to the original topic. Key takeaway for you guys. Test this.
Nate
Maybe if Jaguar just ran their shitty campaign three times, maybe that would work, you know. No, I'm kidding. Sorry.
Sarah Levinger
They should have taken the science and ran it three times. No, but, like, it probably would have worked.
Nate
I. I think, like, the. The big thing I'm taking away from this is, like, when you have content or messaging or headline or copy that, you know, works.
Sarah Levinger
Yes. Validated content. Yes.
Nate
And double down. Or in this case, triple down. Like, make sure that people are seeing it because, like. Yeah, again, how many people are reading the paragraph on the top of my main landing page?
Sarah Levinger
Very few.
Nate
Not the majority. And it's like, well, what if I sprinkled it in three times in that collection page?
Sarah Levinger
Yep.
Nate
I think that matters.
Sarah Levinger
Yeah. Especially if you have a message like, he's worth it. Because, again, that hits identity. Like, it's not like you guys are just taking arbitrary messages and testing it in threes. You know, this one works. We've been testing it for two years straight. Like, we know this message hits. So again, Sarah goes back to my methodology. Validate your message first and then change the format of the message. Don't change the message. Don't change the message. Just change the format. Put that message into every type of format you can get.
Nate
Yeah. That's where. If anyone on my marketing team is listening to this, that's the entire creative strategy for next year. Yeah, we know the messaging that works. Let's triple down on it. Change the formats of it.
Sarah Levinger
Yeah. Cause format is fun.
Nate
Yeah.
Sarah Levinger
I mean, your consumers want to see different formats because it's interesting and that's how marketing works nowadays. But the message should never change, ever.
Nate
I think this is something we haven't talked about, actually, and I've never articulated it this way, but watch out. This is going to be good.
Sarah Levinger
Okay.
Nate
I think the visual format grabs the attention, and then the message creates the intention.
Sarah Levinger
Oh.
Nate
It's like you need the striking visuals to get someone to even consider reading the first word of your headline. But just like in the Jaguar example, the vivid imagery didn't create intention.
Sarah Levinger
Yes.
Nate
It got attention. Great. But then if you don't have anything to back it up with that creates buyer intent, then it's not going to.
Sarah Levinger
Be a good 100%. This is very similar to kind of methodology. Clip it, clip it, clip. We'll put it in Opus. Similar to the methodology of, like, the image gets them to stop, the text gets them to stay. Yeah, Right. And this is. I say this to people all the time. I'm like, stop worrying so much about, like, specific teeny tiny little elements in it. Stop worrying so much about creator to market fit or what your script says or all these different things. The very first thing that you should focus on is the first thing they see. And if the first thing they see is a repeated message three times, you have a really good chance of hitting really deep with that audience.
Nate
We'll try it. I'll let you know.
Sarah Levinger
Yes. Oh, my gosh. Performance. I'm so excited. Okay. Where can people find you? They want to follow all the things.
Nate
You'Re doing at Nate Legos on Twitter or LinkedIn or wherever. The Tactical, Practical. The Tactical and Practical podcast. Sarah's gonna be a guest next week and if you don't like her, the other 20 episodes don't have her on it, so. Wow, it's me. It's some guests. I've had Connor McDonald and Connor Rolane and Connor McCoy Mercleon lately, by the way, shout out to us for being successful in E Comm without being named Connor. It's. It's hard.
Sarah Levinger
Tell me about it. Do you know how few Sarahs are over here?
Nate
Yeah.
Sarah Levinger
Every other person I met since the 80s has been a Sarah over here. No Sarahs?
Nate
None.
Sarah Levinger
No, there's none. If you're a Sarah and Ecom, please come find me because there's literally no Sarahs. Yeah, he's dying right now.
Nate
And if you're a Nate, if you're innate in Ecom, switch industries.
Sarah Levinger
Get rid of me.
Nate
Yes. We're gonna end it with my outros take over into rants and. I'm sorry, Sarah. People can find me on Twitter and they can listen to the Tactical and practical podcast where you're going to be a guest next week. But where can people find you?
Sarah Levinger
Anywhere that you consume content. Twitter at Sarah Levenger. LinkedIn. Sarah Levinger. I'm on Instagram, sort of. I don't know. I'm working on my life. Who knows what's happening with Sarah?
Nate
Do you have two Instagram accounts.
Sarah Levinger
I do. Okay, so this is the problem. I'm. I'm transferring most of my content over to the Tether.
Nate
Like, professional one.
Sarah Levinger
Yeah. I'm, like, building something that's actually, like, adult level. Cool. So I think, at least.
Nate
By the way, this episode is sponsored by Tether. What is it? Tether Industries, Tether Sciences, Tether Insights. Tether insights. Tether IO. Oh, my God, it is. Sarah has finally cut, but take 42.
Sarah Levinger
This episode is brought to you by OtherInsights IO. There you go. We'll just have Scotty do it.
Nate
Scotty do the reads.
Sarah Levinger
Yeah, I know. Scotty, you just need to do the reads for us because you got that smooth, like, caramel voice.
Nate
Got the voice for radio and the.
Sarah Levinger
Face for it, too.
Nate
I wasn't gonna do that.
Sarah Levinger
Later. Bye, Scotty.
Nate
The Brain Driven Brands podcast is part.
Sarah Levinger
Of the Learn and Laugh series on.
Nate
The Quickfire Podcast network.
Sarah Levinger
I need a nap. Need a beat. New release. Need a laugh.
Nate
Biased. Sit back. Fire.
Brain Driven Brands: Boost Persuasiveness by 10.3% Using this Super Simple Psychology Hack
Episode Release Date: December 17, 2024
In this insightful episode of Brain Driven Brands, host Sarah Levinger delves into a powerful yet straightforward psychological technique that can enhance the persuasiveness of your marketing efforts by over 10%. Joined by co-host Nate and producer Scotty, Sarah breaks down the science behind message repetition and its profound impact on consumer behavior. This episode is a must-listen for e-commerce brands aiming to refine their marketing strategies, reduce costs, and amplify sales.
The episode kicks off with a light-hearted exchange between Nate and Sarah about having a rough day. This relatable conversation sets a candid and engaging tone, making listeners feel connected from the start.
Notable Quote:
Sarah and Nate explore how consumers' moods influence their purchasing decisions. They highlight that on bad days, people are more inclined to buy "treat-type" products, such as liquor and candy, to boost their dopamine levels and alleviate negative feelings.
Key Points:
Notable Quote:
The core of the episode revolves around a study that demonstrates the effectiveness of repeating a specific message three times to enhance persuasiveness. Sarah explains that messages repeated in groups of three are more digestible and memorable for consumers.
Key Points:
Notable Quotes:
Nate and Sarah discuss practical ways to implement this technique in advertising. They suggest repeating a core message three times within an ad to reinforce its impact and ensure it resonates deeply with the audience.
Examples Discussed:
Notable Quotes:
The hosts analyze Jaguar's recent ad campaign, which received mixed reviews. They argue that while the ad may have gained viral traction, its effectiveness in driving sales is questionable. This discussion underscores the importance of not just creating attention-grabbing ads, but ensuring they translate into actual consumer action.
Key Points:
Notable Quotes:
Sarah emphasizes the importance of first validating your core message through testing. Once a message is proven effective, marketers should focus on varying its format to reach different segments of the audience without altering the message itself.
Key Points:
Notable Quotes:
The episode concludes with actionable strategies for listeners to implement the discussed psychological hack. Sarah encourages marketers to integrate the power of three into their campaigns meticulously, ensuring that their core messages are not only seen but also felt by the audience.
Key Takeaways:
Notable Quotes:
In this episode of Brain Driven Brands, Sarah Levinger and Nate provide a compelling argument for the strategic repetition of key marketing messages. By leveraging the power of three, marketers can significantly enhance the persuasiveness of their campaigns, ensuring that their messages resonate deeply and drive consumer action. Whether you're looking to refine your current strategies or implement new psychological tactics, this episode offers valuable insights grounded in scientific research and real-world application.
Stay Connected:
Note: This summary excludes advertisements, intros, outros, and non-content sections to focus solely on the valuable insights shared during the episode.