Let's Make This More Interesting The five components of interesting (with Jeffre Jackson and Dave Nottoli)
Mar 25, 2025
Join Jeffre Jackson, a branding expert and co-founder of Open Intelligence Agency, and Dave Nottoli, a teaching assistant professor and co-author on interestingness, as they dissect the five key components of what makes advertising engaging. They discuss the power of incongruity in memory retention and why authenticity transcends mere buzzword status. Delve into the significance of details, discover the charm of the Cadbury’s Gorilla ad, and learn how to avoid the allure of empty spectacle in the marketing race for attention.
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Tear-Gassed Sushi Story Sparks Interest
- A colleague's story about being tear-gassed in a Santiago sushi restaurant is intriguing due to the double incongruity.
- This unexpected combination sparks curiosity and interest immediately.
Interestingness Combines Thought and Feeling
- Interesting things are appraised as worth thinking about, which means interestingness is subjective.
- Thinking and feeling are intertwined, so interestingness involves both cognitive appraisal and emotional processing.
Incongruity Drives Interest
- Incongruity means presenting something that doesn't fit expected patterns, forcing people to think and connect.
- Different forms of incongruity include mystery, gestalt disruption, and expectation violations.