Surprise pays in the upper funnel; predictability can pay lower down
WarningBrand & Creativity
Surprise pays in the upper funnel; predictability can pay lower down
Surprise earns its keep in the upper funnel, where attention, memory and fame compound; further down the funnel the cost-of-dull evidence suggests a degree of predictability actually pays. Budget the surprise where the memory is built, not necessarily where the conversion happens.
Source
The Startling Power of Surprise - eatbigfish x Uncensored CMO webinar (Cannes 2026 session) (2026)
Adam Morgan (eatbigfish), Jon Evans (Uncensored CMO)
00:54:20 Q&A, Morgan & Evans on the cost-of-dull funnel evidence
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