Headline of the Moment: Scientists Glue Wii Remote Parts to Flying Lemurs

No connection to marketing, but I just had to read this based on the bizarre headline. If I’d known that gluing Wii parts to small animals was in the job description I might have followed through on my childhood dream of becoming a scientist.

OK, there is a connection to marketing. Maybe. Why did I read this article?

• Juxtaposition - surprise and intrigue result from the combination of seemingly unrelated things
• Specificity - The specificity of Wii, glue, and lemur makes the headline irresistable. Oldest trick in the book - there’s a reason ‘57 Varieties’ and ‘31 Flavors’ aren’t round numbers. Try ‘Scientists use technology to study flying mammals’ and see if you get as many clicks
• Naughtiness - Not part of the traditional marketing mix, but effective. Gluing things to small animals is a no-no. Any no-no is effective in getting attention, as my all-time favorite magazine cover illustrates. If you were disciplined as a child for gluing things to small animals, please leave me a comment and stay away from my cat

Marketers spend a lot of time making things sticky, as Chip and Dan Heath promote. But we also need to make them clicky. As in “when I read the headline I had to click through.”

Thanks to The Spine for the image of Paris with a Wiimote embedded in her head. Remember, gluing things to small animals is dangerous

Tags: Business, clickiness, flying lemurs, headline, juxtaposition, Marketing, naughtiness, no-no, scientists, specificity, stickiness, Wii