Contrary to the classic marketing "rule of seven," recent research shows that focusing on two to three high-impact, emotionally resonant messages is more effective than mass repetition. In a noisy environment, concentrated, potent creative breaks through where sheer volume fails.

The human brain's "reward prediction error" means unexpected events create stronger emotional reactions. Tubi's Super Bowl ad worked by disrupting the viewer's prediction, making the brand stick by amplifying feelings of surprise and even anger.

The brain conserves energy by predicting outcomes; if an ad is identical every time, the brain tunes it out. Brands like Specsavers succeed by blending familiar assets (the slogan "Should've gone to Specsavers") with novel creative executions. This mix captures attention while still reinforcing existing, powerful brand memories.

Surprise is a powerful emotional amplifier, capable of multiplying positive or negative feelings significantly. While advertising often seeks emotion, it rarely focuses on surprise. Simple, unexpected acts, especially in customer service, can create disproportionately strong and lasting brand memories.

Marketers must distinguish between two types of surprise. 'Short O' surprises are fleeting narrative twists that grab attention. 'Long O' surprises fundamentally reframe the brand or category (e.g., HSBC's 'Banking the Homeless' program), creating a lasting shift in perception and consideration.

Creating something truly new (novelty) is difficult. Instead, generate surprise by combining familiar elements in unexpected ways, like a pug hatching from an egg. This works because the brain is wired to pay attention to prediction failures, which is what surprise creates.

The 'Reward Prediction Error' concept shows our brains release dopamine based on the gap between what we expect and what we get, not the experience itself. This reframes marketing's job as setting an expectation and the brand experience's job as strategically exceeding it.

The dopamine hit from a customer experience isn't triggered by the event, but by how it measures up against expectations. Marketers create these expectations, and the ability to over-deliver creates a memorable, positive emotional response. The feeling, not the detail, is what customers remember.

The common marketing belief in ad "wear out" is wrong, as familiarity breeds contentment, not contempt. Consequently, marketers often pull their advertising campaigns right at the point where repetition is making them most effective.