Practical Sales Training™ > How To Get Attention > The Bizarreness Effect
The Bizarreness Effect
Most marketing looks the same. Same colours, same promises, same safe choices. So when something genuinely odd shows up, people notice.
That’s the power of bizarre. It breaks the pattern, and broken patterns are hard to ignore.
But weird for the sake of weird isn’t enough on its own. The trick is making strange work in your favour, not against it.
What Is The Bizarreness Effect?
The Bizarreness Effect looks at how bizarre things catch our attention and become more memorable because they stand out. It’s the reason an odd image or unexpected line sticks in your head long after a normal one has faded.
The strangeness itself does the work. It interrupts the usual flow of what someone expects to see, so their brain pays closer attention than it would to something familiar.
Why Does The Bizarreness Effect Work?
The human brain recognises contrast and is sensitive to the unusual. So when something breaks the expected pattern, it grabs attention almost automatically, without the viewer choosing to focus on it.
Much like the Von Restorff Effect, the Bizarreness Effect works as a tool to be remembered and to capture attention. The odd one out is always easier to recall than the rest of the crowd.
How Can You Use The Bizarreness Effect In Sales?
Push to one extreme
Could you offer an ultra high price version of what you do, or an ultra budget one? Extremes naturally stand out more than anything sitting safely in the middle.
Break your industry’s visual norms
If everyone in your field uses the same colours and tone, try the opposite. A brightly coloured brand in a sea of grey suits gets noticed instantly, simply because it doesn’t fit in.
Proceed with caution
There are plenty of ways to stand out, but standing out for the sake of it isn’t always the best approach. So make sure the bizarre choice still connects back to something real about your brand.
When The Bizarreness Effect Works Best
It works best in crowded, conventional industries, where everyone looks and sounds the same. The more predictable your market is, the more an odd choice cuts through.
It also works well when the strangeness still supports your message, rather than distracting from it. Bizarre and irrelevant just confuses people. Bizarre and on point gets remembered for the right reasons.
When The Bizarreness Effect Becomes Dangerous
It becomes dangerous when the strangeness undermines trust instead of building it. If buyers can’t tell whether you’re being serious, they may struggle to take your offer seriously either.
It can also backfire if the bizarre element overshadows what you actually do. People remember the stunt but forget the message, which means attention without conversion.
Common Bizarreness Effect Mistakes
Being weird without a reason
Strangeness with no connection to your brand or offer feels random rather than memorable. Tie the bizarre element back to something true about what you do.
Losing credibility in the process
If the bizarre choice makes buyers doubt your competence, it’s worked against you. Confidence and expertise still need to come through underneath the surprise.
Playing it too safe to actually stand out
A half-hearted attempt at bizarre rarely works. So commit fully to the idea, because a watered down version just looks like a mistake rather than a deliberate choice.
The Bizarreness Effect – An Example
A law firm dressed as superheroes
A law firm known for the usual “suit and tie” image launches a campaign with the tagline:
“Serious Lawyers. Ridiculously Good at Winning.”
paired with visuals of their team dressed as superheroes in court.
The contrast between the expected, formal and serious lawyers, and the unexpected, playful superhero imagery, captures attention. It’s memorable because it’s bizarre enough to break expectations, while still communicating confidence and expertise.
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