Leave Them Weeping

Emotional connections turn users into fans and evangelists. An experience that elicits strong positive emotional reactions leaves a person attached and feeling sentimental. They’ll clamor to tell their family and friends all about the product because of that heartfelt moment that you designed.

Advertising aims to create these moments before you’ve ever used—or even heard of—what they’re selling. The best ads, the ones that work, pull at your strings in various ways. A great example of this is Google’s Dear Sophie spot.

Over the last few years, I’ve become obsessed with paradigm shifts: the change in mindset that’s so dramatic it can be described as a totally new way of thinking. Putting all of my focus into emotionally-charged experiences is a paradigm shift for me. I used to believe that simplicity and a friction-free experience were enough to make a product successful. But it’s more than that.

Grab people by the heart. Make them remember who they are. Show them what they can be. Change their lives and exist forever in the ether.