Why those ‘one weird trick’ ads are so effective

The “one weird trick” ads and their absurd-looking landing pages work well because they focus on human psychology, Alex Kaufman reports:

“Research on persuasion shows the more arguments you list in favor of something, regardless of the quality of those arguments, the more that people tend to believe it,” [Harvard marketing professor Michael] Norton says. “Mainstream ads sometimes use long lists of bullet points—people don’t read them, but it’s persuasive to know there are so many reasons to buy.” OK, but if more is better, then why only one trick? “People want a simple solution that has a ton of support.”

Marketers—even those not selling diet drugs and miracle cures—should be paying attention.