The missing piece

Like other body parts, our brain is also essentially a muscle. Its memory is ensured purely by exercise. Leaving information out challenges you to fill in the blanks, engages your mind and makes sure its retained.

🕰️Zero hour

The when: Background of how it all began

Have you ever wondered why you don't remember the safety information from planes that is repeated to you on every single trip you take? The amount of repetition should guarantee its place in your memory, but somehow you can hardly piece together the whole list of instructions.

Lets take this exercise to understand why -

Without looking, try to remember the words you just read. Studies show that participants are able to recall a larger number of words from section B. Why? Because we worked up our brain to fill the spaces ourselves.

Studying for longer periods of time is less effective when it comes to memory than adding obstacles that require you to retrieve information. This same principle, when applied to marketing and creativity help us create a lasting impact.

Let's understand how.

🔥 Smoking Gun

The how: Resources to understand the trend

☝️Heinz: The brand's print and digital assets thoroughly employ the viewer's imagination to get their message across in most instances. They have been successful in creating a brand image that has instant recall by making the viewer a contributor in the creation.

☝️The Row: This year, arguably in the midst of a digital revolution, The Row decided to ban cellphones at their fashion show. And the simple restriction of information irked unimaginable curiosity. Ironically, every fashion enthusiasts phone was filled with this news for the next few days.

☝️Art: The Japanese concept of Mikansei, or the state of being incomplete, ties with the pattern of modern art. Here, the artists leave out details intentionally to draw the viewer in and compel them to deeply analyse what is being represented.

☝️Acting: Bryan Cranston once mentioned in an interview, "if a character cries, the audience doesn't have to but if a character tries not to cry, that's when the audience will." Audiences often resonate with characters on screen and mirror their emotions, but for a lot of 'big moments' it is important to leave reactions out so the viewer can complete the emotion.

📝 The Long Haul

The why: 4 actionable takeaways

• Down to the basics - Simple copy, plain backgrounds, clean imagery, and lesser details mean understanding what to discard before what to include.
• High Engagement - When you let the consumer work towards the end goal, they will be engaged for a higher amount of time. Until they solve that puzzle, they are going to stay on, and you can sit back.

• Greater recall value - Because they have exercised their mind to calculate your message, they have now created an exclusive connection with your brand, making it easier to remember.
• Creating a club - Every time a consumer feels left out, they make added effort to be included. Hailey Bieber has used this model to successfully launch products for her skincare label, time and again. By coining phrases like 'strawberry girl summer' and launching a micro trend around her product, she is able to get consumers to desire her products naturally.

🎙️ Spilling the beans

The who: Industry experts and their take

The longer and deeper we think about something, the more likely we are to commit it to memory; the more aspects of an idea we uncover, the more easily we can connect it to other parts of knowledge and retrieve it in the future.

Recent analysis of India's schooling system has revealed that students start to think less creatively as they get older. The reason why is essentially in the curiosity that is curbed during learning & application. Students are discouraged to ask questions, and remember facts as opposed to concepts.

Certain forms float up in my mind’s eye. Aromas, a blowing breeze, a rain drenched gust of wind, the air in motion, my heart in motion. I try to capture these vague, evanescent images of the instant and put them into vivid form. - Tokyo Shinoda, Japanese Artist

Shinoda's work captivates viewers and critics alike because of the uniqueness it captures, simply by holding onto blank space. Omitting details holds attention.

Above all, try to rid yourself of the idea that memory works like a tape or video recorder and that re-exposing yourself to the same material over and over again will somehow write it onto your memory. Rather, assume that learning requires an active process of interpretation— that is, mapping new things we are trying to learn onto what we already know. - Robert Bjork, Chair of Psychology, UCLA

Repetition seems more desirable and easier as opposed to a pursuit of creative excellence for brands. However, considering the miserly attitude of consumers towards their time and cognisance, brands need to strip down to stand out.

Read time: 3 min 45 sec

These days is a collection of my latest learnings in the advertising and media industry, complete with analysis of trends & new developments. I focus on the background, the lead up, peak points and future predictions to some of the coolest things I find on the internet and share them here. If you like what you read, consider supporting me!