Why You Don't Remember Ads

But wait, you say! I DO remember ads! I know the jingle for that shampoo! I have a dozen shirts that say, "Just Do It". I even know the slogan for that fitness place!

What you remember is actually context: the story around the promotion. Anything that's stored in your brain for quick recall, by necessity, has to be linked to one or more senses. But let's back up a bit:

Your brain is extremely good at prioritizing information. Before data is stored, even in your short-term memory, it's filtered for relevance. What type of toothpaste did you use on the seventeenth occurrance of tooth-brushing as a child? You won't remember, because it isn't relevant. If you DO remember, it's because your mother bought the same brand of toothpaste for 30 years...and you recall that fact, because it's attached to an emotional trigger (your sparkly-toothed mom.)

The best way to store information is to give it an emotional cue. When our ancestors peered through the bushes to find the fleeing rabbit, and uncovered a tiger....well, we tended to remember that spot, if we survived. In that instance, the amygdala  triggered a hard-wiring response: "Hey, big boy! Yeah, lookin' at you here, Cortex! Don't forget this spot, man, or we'll get eaten next time!" Chemicals are secreted, the memory is cemented, and is instantly recalled when needed.

The next-best way to ensure long-term memory storage is to add as many sensory inputs as possible. For instance, I can't remember any slogans for Juicy Fruit gum, but I remember the way my grandfather's car smelled like rubber bands. He was a rural mailman, and he'd pick me up from school, put me in the stifling trunk of his station wagon, give me a piece of Juicy Fruit, and let me snooze for an hour while he stopped at every mailbox, with my grandmother sorting the mail in the passenger seat. He'd tell me to take a deep breath and hold it just before we reached the dairy farm. He'd tell us to roll up the windows when we reached the dustier roads. He'd whistle hymns and Johnny Cash songs (maybe, to him, the same thing) and my grandmother's kerchief would flutter around, and they'd have about a thousand rubber bands draped over his 3-speed console gearshift. It was always hot; there was nothing to read; and the Juicy Fruit frequently wound up in my hair. 

That's a memory strong enough to recall instantly. 

A business card, by comparison, carries no context unless shared in a jail cell. Even if, in yesterday's scenario, a golfer noticed our Catalyst ad at the bottom of the page; even if he tore it out of the magazine; even if he put it in his wallet....it would stay there. There's no emotional connection to Catalyst, unless he folded the page into a sun shade, wore it on his head, and had a hole-in-one on the next stroke.  A business card is NOT a Christmas card, or a get-well card. It's a reference, yes; but something else would still have to trigger the "call Catalyst!" cue before it's thumbed again.

Emotion is memory-glue. It's very hard (in my personal experience) to experience a positive powerful emotion on a golf course, or while reading a newspaper. It IS possible to trigger a strong negative emotion, however, and THAT will also subconsciously stick to your logo - use this tool wisely. 

People write books about 'Guerrilla Marketing,' and 'Making Ads Viral' all the time. If we can understand why information is stored, remembered, and reflected upon, though....we'll be ahead of the game.

Comments

[Jon]

So why does it take a positive or negative emotion to cement the memory of an advertisement, but it takes no such emotion to recall academics, the written word, or a conversation?

After reading a chapter from Mark Rippetoe's "Starting Strength" I can recall this information at will, or at least recall where to find the information for a refresher. Down the road, if I have a bench press question I know exactly where to look, and without having to first read the book in the back of my grandpa's smelly station wagon or from within sight of a tiger.

Similarly if you give me a Catalyst business card and I toss it in a drawer, I can recall the card’s location I start considering joining an affiliate. It’s not emotion that cements memory, it’s whether or not you deem that information significant enough to retain for later recall that drives the memory formation.

[Chris Cooper]

But, Jon, can you recall the exact page and line of Rip's book where the relevant information lies? Relevance is not a line you cross, friend, but a shifting spectrum of priority. You're right on this fact: that perceived relevance (in your case, knowledge about the bench press is relevant) is what makes for long-term storage. However, what determines relevance? Emotional connection.
Obviously, this post (and the preceding) have relevance to you, and that's what has prompted your responses. I'll wager that you remember both posts. But will you remember the last question on the last math exam you took? Would you recall the question if you took the exam last night? As relevance fades, so does memory.