Growth Newsletter #200: Taking advantage of a familiar interface

Holy cow. The 200th newsletter?  ‌ ‌ ‌ [Demand Curve]( [Read on demandcurve.com]( The Growth Newsletter #200 Taking advantage of a familiar interface Wow. 200 newsletters.  It's a huge honor to have reached your inbox upwards of 200 times.  Thanks to each and every one of you for your support over the years :)  And today, we dive into the power of the familiar interface.  – Neal Brought to you by [Crowdo](.  It’s a shame that 70% of marketers don’t leverage social platforms like Quora & Reddit to grow.  These communities have hundreds of millions of engaged users —and are filled with niche audiences with high intent.  And the latest Google update pushed them to the top of search results.  But being active and building a reputation in a community is a massive effort that most startups can’t do in-house.  Instead, discover Crowdo's [Quora & Reddit Promotion Service](.  Think of it like your personal ghostwriter & brand ambassador.  PS: Use the coupon DEMAND10 to get 10% off on all packages. Want to be featured in front of over 101,000 founders and marketers? [Learn more here](. Taking advantage of a familiar interface Insight from us.  Let’s play a game.  I’ll share 3 ads, and you tell me why I think they're clever.  Okay, here they are ([click for high-res](): Figure it out?  That’s right. They each reuse an absurdly common interface: Texts, Calendar, and right-click tooltip.  These ads are clever and effective for a few reasons: - Familiarity Bias: We gravitate to familiar things. - Peculiarity: They’re completely unignorable. They stand out, demand closer inspection, and are shareworthy: - You don't expect to see a message thread on a sign. You’d walk up to it. - You don’t expect to see a calendar at a bus stop. You’d stop to read it. - You don’t expect to see a tooltip on a photo of a woman’s face. You’d assume it was a mistake, pause to take a closer look, or take a picture of their mistake, and then you’d notice it’s intentional. - Memorable: Most people don’t need the product when they see an advertisement. It’s critical that your ads are so memorable that they think of you when they do need it. - They’re funny: Each leaves you with a smile.  Why does that all matter?  [Consumer neuroscience research]( has found that highly successful ads score well on three key dimensions: - Attention (familiarity + peculiarity), - Conversion to long-term memory (peculiarity + humor), - Emotional engagement (humor)  These ads hit the mark for all 3.  Here are a few more examples of ads that leverage this tactic  These ads all mimic apps that every Apple user knows: And these two mimic Instagram DMs and stories: Here’s McDonald’s using their classic format of replicating their BigMac with color symbols, but doing it in a calendar interface that tells a story: There are infinite ways you can do this.  The key is to find interfaces or environments that your ideal customer is intimately familiar with then to use them in a completely unexpected context: - For accountants: Quickbooks, Xero, or Excel. - For salespeople: Salesforce, HubSpot, Gmail, Spam, or Zoom. - For gamers: Twitch, Discord, Steam, or Fortnite. - For lawyers: a golf course.  Or you can leverage the classics that everyone knows: texts, calendars, calls, Windows, email, excel, and PowerPoint. PS: I couldn't resist an opportunity for a Rick Roll.  What did you think of today's newsletter? 😍 Loved it: Forward to a friend, or reply—a simple 😍 will do! It really helps. 🤷‍♀️ Meh: You can unsubscribe [here](), or manage your subscription [here](. 🤔 I'm new here: You can join the party [here](. 🤩 Give me more: Check out all previous growth tactics in our [Growth Vault](. Something fun  Because I know y’all are fellow business nerds. From [@explainingtheuniverse](. How we can help you grow - Read our free [playbooks](,[ articles](, [growth guide](, and [teardowns](—we break down the strategies & tactics used by fast-growing startups. - Need help running ads? We’ve built [the]([ ads agency]( for startups. - Looking for a growth freelancer or agency? [We’ll match you]( with a vetted partner for free. - Get in front of 101,000+ founders by [sponsoring]( this newsletter.  Thanks, everyone! Here's to the next 200. [Neal]( [Neal O'Grady]( [Grace]( [Justin Setzer]( [Grace]( [Nick Costelloe](   © 2024 Demand Curve, Inc. All rights reserved. 4460 Redwood Hwy, Suite 16-535, San Rafael, California, United States [Unsubscribe]() from all emails, including the newsletter, or [manage]( subscription preferences.