The animal at the top of this post is called a Fisher, and up until I read an article in the New York Times about him — where he was described as a ratty looking creature with fangs and claws that was in the habit of gnawing on the face of house pets — I had never heard of him.

So what does this mangy little guy have to do with advertising? Well, he’s an idea, and for me, he’s a pretty sticky one. Because he’s something that I had no awareness of at all until I read about, and now am very aware of.

The Fisher is a great illustration of some of the core principles the Heath Brothers talk about in their way smart book Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die. Here’s a few, and how they correspond to the Fisher story:

UNEXPECTEDNESS
VIOLATE PEOPLE’S EXPECTATIONS WITH YOUR IDEA.
Use surprise — an emotion whose function is to increase alertness and cause focus — to grab people’s attention.

There’s a vicious little beast you’ve never heard of…

CONCRETENESS
EXPLAIN YOUR IDEA IN TERMS OF HUMAN ACTIONS AND SENSORY INFORMATION.
Naturally sticky ideas are full of concrete images — ice-filled bathtubs, apples with razors inside — because our brains are wired to remember concrete data.

…he’s mangy and ugly, with fangs and claws…

EMOTIONS
GET PEOPLE TO CARE ABOUT YOUR IDEA BY MAKING THEM FEEL SOMETHING.
We are wired to feel things for people, not for abstractions.

…that he likes to sink into pets…just like yours…

STORIES
GET PEOPLE TO ACT ON YOUR IDEAS BY TELLING STORIES.
Stories create a mental catalog of critical situations and the appropriate responses to those situations.

…and he’s been spotted…in your neighborhood!

Made to Stick is full of lots of other great insights into how to make messages stick, and for me, the book and the website are essential reads.

And as for that Fisher, let’s just say that he’s an idea I won’t soon forget, particularly when I’m out in the backyard!

Steven Stark is a writer and creative director with an overactive imagination and a healthy respect for nature. You can see his work and read some of his other musings here.

Article Tags: big ideas | chip heath | dan heath | fisher | made to stick | new york times | Steven Stark | sticky ideas
Filed under: Advertising, Book Review, Branding, New Discoveries, Steven Stark