The "SUCCESs" of Stickiness - 1

Why do things stick in our memory? The reason is "SUCCESs"

I learned about this acronym in my Consumer Behavior class at the National University of Singapore and found it very interesting and worth sharing, especially some of the examples.

S stands for Simple

Our products have hundreds of features and qualities. But as consumers, we have a minimal capacity to see them, store them in our memory and retrieve afterward. The simpler the message, the stickier the product will be.

Take computers as an example. Often we see ads like this:

Would you remember the product? Or tell your friends about it? Apart from tech enthusiasts, I highly doubt it.

苹果 does it differently:

This ad is genius. It shows one feature: The light weight (and size) of the MacBook Air, and it does so in a way that is relatable and easily understandable for anybody. Would you share this with your friends? Even 16 years later, I am sharing it here ??

We can focus on only one thing at a time. GenZ's attention span is even shorter than of the previous generations.

Tell your customers 10 things, and they remember none. Tell them one simple thing, and they will remember it.

There is also a scientific reason behind it. Our brain encodes and stores words in the left prefrontal cortex, while events are encoded in the right cortex.

Use the Power of Analogies

But what do you do if the product is so innovative that it is difficult to keep it simple? In this case, you can use the power of analogies. Instead of trying to explain something new in a complicated way, compare it to something that people already know. The magical phrase here is "It's like [KNOWN ITEM], but with [YOUR FEATURE]."

I am sure that during COVID-19 you have encountered these images:

Not many people take the time to read through all the steps and then do it. How can we use an analogy to make the information stick? Here is an idea:

You don't need instructions here, you know how thoroughly you should rub your hands ??

Takeaways

Let's review:

• Focus on 1 (or 2) feature per advertisement. Ask yourself: "If the recipient walked away with one thing, what should it be?"
• Make the message simple, understandable and shareable.
• If your idea or message is too complex or new, use analogies to make it stickier.

In the next article we will explore the second part. Be prepared for some surprising ads... ??

In the meantime, share in the comments, how can you apply those ideas to your product or service?