Be More Descriptive | Nudge Newsletter 🧠
Use descriptions that can be visualised.In 2022 researchers ran a study on product descriptions. Half saw descriptions given in weight. Half saw descriptions given in quantity. Here's what happened. |
Oreo are one of the few brands that actually use this. Rather than proudly displaying the package weight, they showcase the quantity of cookies. And doing so, should boost their sales. So, use descriptions that can be visualised: ❌ 100 GB = ✅ 50 feature length films ❌ 568 mls = ✅ 1 pint ❌ 135 MPH = ✅ Faster than you're legally allowed to drive Cheers, Phill |
Nudge Newsletter
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New and Safe Effect Read online In the early 1970s an ambitious young director released his film THX 1138. The concept went against many of the typical Hollywood storylines at the time. Set in a dystopian future where sex is outlawed and drug-taking is mandatory, the film was wildly different from what audiences were used to. The film was also a massive flop. Despite the a-list cast and big marketing budget, few watched it. The young director was discouraged and almost gave up until he read...
Generation Effect Read online This ad outside my local opticians sticks in my mind. "Blink if you need an eye exam." At first glance, it's bizzare. It doesn't promote the business, showcase a promotion, or entice people in. And yet, I think it's weirdly effective due to the generation effect. In 1978, researchers¹ asked participants to either read work pairs or generate missing words from cues. For example: Read condition: hot → cold Generate condition: hot → c___ Those generating answers...
Isolation Effect Read online Noah Kagan tested his book cover design by photoshopping the book onto shelves to see what stood out. The green cover isn't different, but it is distinct. In 1933, German researcher Hedwig Von Restorff¹ published a paper on memory and distinctiveness. She gave participants long lists of letter combinations to remember (e.g. JTSW, UCSM, PLST), but among them was a single number sequence: 9125. When participants returned after a distraction task, Hedwig found that...