The CD Method
The brain sees 10,000 ads a day. It ignores almost all of them.
Great advertising follows rules. The best creative directors around the globe use them. 64 psychological triggers across 15 categories — from Pattern Interrupts to Momentum Mechanics. Each one a proven way to break through the noise. Built on 70 years of behavioral science and advertising psychology.
355 brands. 751 real campaigns. 1947 to now.
The 15 Categories
- A — Pattern Interrupts — The brain pays attention when predictions fail
- B — Emotional Detonators — Strong emotional responses burn the message into memory
- C — Cognitive Games — Engage the mind as a participant
- D — Participation Generators — Turn passive viewers into active participants
- E — Story Engines — Narrative's power to organize information into memorable patterns
- F — Symbol Systems — Tap into pre-existing visual languages and cultural codes
- G — Media Manipulation — The medium itself becomes part of the message
- H — Transgression Tactics — Controlled violation of norms
- I — Sensory Translators — Make the audience feel senses not actually stimulated
- J — Social Physics — The invisible forces that govern group behavior
- K — Identity Provocations — Make people see themselves in surprising ways
- L — Tension Architecture — Build and manipulate psychological pressure
- M — Permission Engines — Give people license to do what they already want
- N — Reality Ruptures — Acknowledge the artificial nature of advertising
- O — Momentum Mechanics — Principles of motion, inertia, and trajectory