Can Displaying Dislike for a Product Actually Boost Its Appeal?

A mayo ad showcasing people disgusted by the product. Consumers spitting the food and leaving the room. Almost no logos.

And yet, a highly effective creative.

Why?‍

Smart use of emotions, low cognitive load, effective branding, and a fun way of delivering a single message: NotMayo tastes like mayo.

This post explores the cognitive factors behind the effectiveness of the new ad from NotCo and Kraft Heinz.

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• Single Message & Focus: The ad had a clear job to be done: overcoming the perception that vegan mayo wouldn't taste the same as animal-derived mayo. The creative follows a single storyline and the visual execution has high attention focus. It’s impossible to miss. Combine this with low cognitive load and you have done your audience a huge favor.

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• Emotions That Stick: Research shows that negative emotions are significantly more memorable than positive ones, which in turn are more memorable than videos with neutral/no emotions. This creative beautifully combines the strength of disgust and anger, with playful expressions and a funny take on the NotMayo clarifications. It's these emotional ups and downs that make the ad stick in our minds.

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• Memorability Meets Brand Presence: An effective strategy for creating a lasting impact is to integrate the brand seamlessly into the ad's most memorable moments. Done correctly, this approach guarantees that the scenes with the highest impact on the brain also transmit key information about the brand, making certain that the brand is not just seen but remembered.

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• Cognitive Ease: Memorable’s Cognitive Ease model placed this ad in the top 9% of all ads. In visual ads, simplicity is powerful. This creative is clear and straightforward, ensuring the main point is delivered and avoiding an overload of content or messages. This builds memories more effectively. The easier it is for the brain, the larger the gains.

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• Authenticity: NotCo is known for being real and genuine; this ad is no exception. The Memorable Authenticity score places this ad in the top 8% of all ads. This builds trust with the audience with a bold and creative way of showing how Not Mayo tastes like real mayo. The ad gains additional authenticity points through its use of a user-generated content (UGC) style in the opening moments, effectively capturing viewers' attention with its relatable and organic feel. This strategy, coupled with the use of strong wording and dynamic pacing stops thumbs on social feeds and engages viewers by tapping into the compelling force of authentic, raw emotion. 

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In conclusion, this creative is not just a witty idea but it’s also highly effective for message delivery, with an execution that builds memorability, distinctiveness, and effective branding.