Why some ideas/ sentences can be recollected easier than others? Do you ever wonder why some stories are so fresh in your memory like you just heard them yesterday?
On the stick-o-meter, urban legends are like fevikwik. Urban legends are usually made-up stories, which get repeated so often that people tend to believe that it is true. They always happen to friends of friends. There are no names, no specific locations. Just vague incidents that can be adapted to any setting.
Every city, school and college has its own urban legends. Let me know if you have heard of this one.
Needles infected with the HIV virus are implanted on the seats in movie theatres by a mysterious group. When a person sits on it by accident and feels a sharp prick, they find a letter on the seat that reads, “Welcome to the world of HIV”. I was barely a teenager when I first heard this story from a friend. To this date, I am reminded of this story whenever I enter a movie theatre.
It’s a fake story that has been in the rounds since 2006. Turns out the chances of being infected by a needle are also extremely low unless it also has the bodily fluids that can transmit the virus. You can’t place syringes on the seats as they can’t stay upright and can be easily spotted too.
It’s a bad, irresponsible story. But strictly from a communication perspective, it’s a bulls-eye. Please don’t spread rumours to go viral. That is not the takeaway from this.
It involves vivid imagery and is extremely relatable. A dark movie theatre, you are in a hurry to get to your seat. We have all faced this situation at some point in our life. A small prick and you are infected with HIV. It employs fear, a very primal emotion that almost always results in action. Even the most daredevil people would prefer to be safe than sorry.
I was reading Made to Stick, written by Chip & Dan Heath and this story immediately popped into my mind when they mentioned urban legends. The book talks about an urban legend involving Halloween. But if you compare both the stories, the elements and the reasons for them to be sticky as hell are very similar. Razor blades in apples, drugged candy bars or infected needles in movie theatres. They evoke the same response in us.
This is a very useful lesson in writing. Especially in advertisement copy, when you have a really short time to get the attention of your audience and leave an everlasting impact.
There are hundreds of ways to write amazing ad copy but if you ask me these three can guarantee you success. It’s definitely not easy to accomplish. But good pointers to remember while writing!
HOW TO MAKE YOUR WORDS STICK?
VISUAL IMAGERY
RELATABLE CONTENT
EVOKE EMOTIONS
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