Nursery Marketing!
Does an apple a day really keep the doctor away? There is enough evidence to the contrary. Yet why do we continue to believe it?
Blame it on the rhyming nature of the aphorism!
When sentences are spoken rhymingly, it ‘enhances processing fluency’, say linguists and cognitive scientists. Rhymes sound nice, are easily understood and, hence, we equate that smoothness with accuracy. We even believe they are true!
In a famous study, two psychologists, Matthew McGlone and Jessica Tofighbakhsh gave participants 60 aphorisms and asked them which one were accurate descriptions of human behaviour.
30 of them were lines that rhymed. For example, Woes unite foes. Life is mostly strife.
They took 30 other rhyming aphorisms but modified them to make them non-rhyming. For example, Woes unite enemies. Life is mostly struggle.
Participants rated the aphorisms that rhymed as far more accurate than the ones that didn’t rhyme. Though each pair essentially meant the same thing!
This cognitive bias can be used effectively by marketers to make their work more memorable and engaging. They could use rhymes to make brand names, baseline, advertising copy, social media posts and what have you. Customers will remember them easily and, importantly, believe them to be true too!
The smart ones already have. Take brand names: 7-Eleven, Krackjack, Cakes & Bakes etc.
And baselines too. Rocotile, the roof tool tiles brand claims: ‘No need for AC, Cooling your home is easy’. Gillette sums it up even better: ‘The best a man can get’.
Rhymes can enhance reason. Processing fluency being the reason!