Build a Creative Strategy: Use Absurd Logic
What is the Use Absurd Logic Strategy and when should I use it?
It’s the strategy for when your product is so commoditized that a list of features would make a statue yawn. You stop trying to be the "smartest" choice and start being the most unforgettable one by leaning into pure, unadulterated nonsense. You use it when your audience is numb to the usual "save time, live better" garbage. If you’re selling a streaming service in a sea of identical giants, logic won’t save you—chaos will. It’s high-risk, high-reward, and requires a client who isn’t terrified of their own shadow. Use it to cut through the noise with a chainsaw of weirdness. Now.
How to execute this strategy effectively
Stop trying to make sense; that’s your first mistake. To pull this off, you need a single, rock-solid insight wrapped in layers of absolute insanity. The absurdity has to be the vehicle, not the destination. If it’s just weird for the sake of being weird, you’re just a clown in a suit. Connect the madness back to a core truth about how people actually use your stuff. Take Tubi: they knew people get sucked into content voids, so they literally threw a giant rabbit down a hole. It’s about taking a metaphor and beating it until it’s unrecognizable but somehow still tells the truth. Done.
Example: Tubi – "Rabbit Hole" Super Bowl (2023).
During Super Bowl LVII, Tubi didn’t just run an ad; they gaslit the entire planet. While everyone else was using celebrities to sell beer, Tubi showed giant rabbits snatching people off the street and tossing them down a literal hole. It was terrifying, nonsensical, and perfectly captured the "rabbit hole" of free content. They even ran an interface prank that made viewers think their TVs were glitching. It was stupidly brave and it worked.
Creative Strategy Deconstructed in 4C Framework
Company INSIGHT
Tubi had a massive library of free content but was being ignored in favor of paid giants like Netflix. They needed to prove their depth without a boring 'more is more' message.
Category INSIGHT
The streaming category was obsessed with 'prestige' and 'exclusivity.' Every ad looked like a movie trailer or a celebrity endorsement, blending into a sea of high-gloss sameness.
Strategy:
Transform the passive act of binging into an aggressive, surreal descent into a content abyss.
Customer INSIGHT
The customer knows the feeling of 'scrolling paralysis' and the accidental three-hour binge. They don't want a lecture; they want to be acknowledged for their weird viewing habits.
Culture INSIGHT
Tubi leaned into the 'rabbit hole' meme and the chaotic energy of the Super Bowl. They used the cultural fear of 'glitching' and the absurdity of giant rabbits to stand out.
Strategy:
Transform the passive act of binging into an aggressive, surreal descent into a content abyss.
Company INSIGHT
Tubi had a massive library of free content but was being ignored in favor of paid giants like Netflix. They needed to prove their depth without a boring 'more is more' message.
Category INSIGHT
The streaming category was obsessed with 'prestige' and 'exclusivity.' Every ad looked like a movie trailer or a celebrity endorsement, blending into a sea of high-gloss sameness.
Customer INSIGHT
The customer knows the feeling of 'scrolling paralysis' and the accidental three-hour binge. They don't want a lecture; they want to be acknowledged for their weird viewing habits.
Culture INSIGHT
Tubi leaned into the 'rabbit hole' meme and the chaotic energy of the Super Bowl. They used the cultural fear of 'glitching' and the absurdity of giant rabbits to stand out.
Why is Use Absurd Logic a Great Strategy?
It bypasses the logical brain that's been trained to ignore every banner ad it sees.
It shatters the consumer's expectations instantly
Nonsense is harder to ignore than logic
It forces a memorable emotional reaction
Absurdity creates immediate social currency
When you stop trying to convince people with a list of benefits, you actually stand a chance of being remembered. This strategy works because it respects the audience enough to be entertaining instead of just another boring sales pitch.
! When not to use the "Use Absurd Logic" Strategy
Don't use this Strategy if your brand is currently dealing with a massive product recall or a literal plane crash; people generally prefer logic during a tragedy.
Steps to implement: How to commit to the bit without getting fired
Find the boring truth first
Before you get weird, find the one thing your product actually does. Tubi knew people get lost in content. That's the truth. Without it, you're just a weirdo in a basement making art films. You need a foundation of reality to support the mountain of nonsense you're about to build. Don't skip this or the whole thing collapses.
Exaggerate the metaphor until it breaks
Take that boring truth and push it past the point of reason. If people 'fall' into a rabbit hole, don't just show them on a couch. Show a six-foot rabbit physically throwing them into an abyss. Go so far that the legal department starts sweating. If it feels a little bit wrong, you’re probably heading in the right direction for once.
Kill the corporate explanation
The moment you try to explain the joke, you've killed it. Don't add a voiceover saying 'Tubi has so much content you'll get lost.' We have eyes. We see the rabbit. Trust the audience to connect the dots. If your deck has a slide explaining why the absurdity is 'synergistic,' delete it and go take a walk. Let the weirdness breathe.
Invest in high-end production
For absurd logic to work, it has to look expensive. If it looks cheap, it’s just a bad idea. If it looks like a cinematic masterpiece, it’s 'art' and 'disruptive.' Tubi’s rabbits looked real enough to be unsettling. That’s the gap where the magic happens. Spend the money to make the nightmare look like a high-budget reality. No half-measures here.
Commit to the public prank
If you're going to be absurd, go all the way. Tubi didn't just show rabbits; they hijacked the TV interface during the biggest game of the year. They made people reach for their remotes in a panic. That’s commitment. If you aren't willing to slightly annoy your audience to get their attention, just go back to making 'lifestyle' ads with stock footage.
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