Aldi maps each limiting belief to a planned surprise that punctures it
CaseBrand & Creativity
Aldi maps each limiting belief to a planned surprise that punctures it
Aldi runs surprise as a planned strategic programme: each limiting customer belief gets a designed puncture. 'You get the food quality you pay for' - mince pies matching Waitrose in taste tests. 'Good for basics, not special occasions' - lobster tails for five pounds. 'You need somewhere else for decent wine' - a fifteen-pound champagne voted world's best. 'Grocery shopping is a dull chore' - kayaks and jacuzzis in the centre aisle.
Source
The Startling Power of Surprise - eatbigfish x Uncensored CMO webinar (Cannes 2026 session) (2026)
Adam Morgan (eatbigfish), Jon Evans (Uncensored CMO)
00:31:00-00:33:20 slides; Aldi UK case, Morgan & Evans
Go to the originalMore from this source
StatSurprise amplifies emotion by up to 400% and imprints the moment on memoryPrincipleThe brain is a prediction engine: surprise is the error that gets encodedStatThe most surprising ads reach fame five times as often as the dullestPrinciple'Something out of the ordinary' tops both attention and emotion in YouTube ad featuresPrincipleOn TikTok, out-of-the-ordinary content carries the largest brand memory liftPrincipleThe Short Oh! and the Long Ohhh!: two types of surprise with different jobsCaseTubi's fake channel-switch Super Bowl ad drove 70,000 app opens in minutesQuote"You don't have the budget to be boring."CaseLoewe's Maggie Smith casting beat its ambassador average by 55% on earned mediaPrincipleExceeding expectations is the most positive surprise; a service let-down is the most negativeStatThe most successful new products and ads blend about 80% happiness with 20% surpriseQuote"In creating surprise well, the most important thing is actually discipline and rigour in your thinking. People are expecting champagne and crazy ideas. And it's not that. It's hard work, day in, day out."