Gimme Liquid Death – not Death by Powerpoint

Advertising that is effective excels at one of the most important parts of learning that is effective: it grabs people’s attention.

“The way in which we as consumers mentally process an ad is…heavily influenced by how an ad speaks to us. It is not just what the ad says to us but how it says it.” – marketing psychologist Max Sutherland

In ADVERTISING AND THE MIND OF THE CONSUMER What Works, What Doesn’t, and Why (Routledge; 2008), Sutherland explains the most effective ways that advertisers keep their brand salient in our minds. Salience is a huge part of what grabs someone’s attention.

Take this hilarious ad for Liquid Death’s hydration powder, Death Dust, starring Ozzy Osbourne dispensing advice about what not to do with it. No snorting of it. Injecting it. Freebasing. And boofing is definitely off the table, apparently.

“Advertising for a brand is in fact one attribute of a brand’s personality. If we like something about someone’s personality, then the chances are greater that we will like that person. If we like a brand’s advertising, the chances are greater that we will like that brand.” – marketing psychologist Max Sutherland

The tl;dr: if water in a can be positioned as rebellious, learning experiences can certainly be packaged more provocatively. Compliance training made more catchy. Compulsory corporate courses less lackluster.

As long as we learning experience designers stop boofing it.