{"id":4371303,"date":"2024-06-11T16:23:44","date_gmt":"2024-06-11T14:23:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.deptagency.com\/insight\/why-weird-works\/"},"modified":"2025-12-08T13:36:26","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T11:36:26","slug":"why-weird-works","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.deptagency.com\/en-in\/insight\/why-weird-works\/","title":{"rendered":"Why weird works: An advertising masterclass"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\n\t<\/svg>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tBack to all articles\t\t<\/span>\n\t\n<\/button>\n\t\tWhy weird works: An advertising masterclass\t<\/h1>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/picture>\n\t\n\t<\/div>
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\n\t\tJeff Bowerman\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t11 June 2024\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
\n\t\n\t\tWhat is weird?

Generally speaking, weird is all things unusual, bizarre, or unexpected.

Weirdness is also singular and original, the stuff we find whenever we think outside of the box. And, when it comes to advertising, that\u2019s<\/em> the stuff we\u2019re looking for.

For our purposes, as we explore why weird works so well for advertising, let\u2019s make some adjustments:

Weirdness is\u2026

Unusual<\/s> Distinctive<\/em>
Bizarre<\/s> Entertaining<\/em>
Unexpected<\/s> Authentic<\/em>\t<\/p><\/div>\n\n
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\n\t\tThe Von Restorff Effect states that when multiple homogeneous stimuli are presented, the stimulus that differs from the rest is more likely to be remembered.

Weird stands out. By leaning into it, brands can have a memorable impression on audiences.

As Byron Sharp explains in How Brands Grow<\/em><\/a>, brands all too often focus on explaining to customers why their product is different from their competitor\u2019s version. Instead, their main priority should be just creating communications that are distinctive.

Brands that are easy to recall in buying situations are described as having good mental availability<\/em>, which you can think of as mental real estate.

As people, we only have so much space in our brains. It\u2019s no surprise that\u2014with individuals consuming 74GB of information<\/a> daily\u2014around 90% of advertising<\/a> goes unnoticed. That\u2019s why securing a place for your brand within the fraction of information that people actually remember is considered a foundation of brand building.

To stick in people\u2019s heads, you need to stand out. And to stand out, you need to figure out how to be the weirdo in your category.
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