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The Most ABSurd Blog

Ethan Decker Ethan Decker

What Can a Brand "Own"?

Every brand wants to ‘own heritage,’ but in mature categories, size—not story—drives those associations.

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Ethan Decker Ethan Decker

How bad are our guesstimates?

We’re terrible at estimating reality—like how Americans have thought crime was rising every year for the past 24 years.

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Ethan Decker Ethan Decker

Is neuromarketing dead?

One veteran fMRI researcher says the field’s at risk—because brain-scan follow-ups barely match the original results.

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Ethan Decker Ethan Decker

Brands X social issues

Brands want to sell phones and mattresses, not solve crises—but in moments like these, silence and statements both spark backlash.

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Ethan Decker Ethan Decker

CPG loyalty and the pandemic

Pandemic or not, NCSolutions shows brand loyalty hasn’t changed much—growth still comes from new buyers, not heavier ones.

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Ethan Decker Ethan Decker

$320 for a designer mask?

Conditions change; people don’t—masks might be the new sneakers, but our craving for status, belonging, and novelty stays the same.

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Ethan Decker Ethan Decker

BMW’s logo redesign gambit

BMW’s new logo may ‘radiate openness,’ but a logo’s first job isn’t vibe—it’s being findable, fast, and unmistakably yours.

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Ethan Decker Ethan Decker

Advertising people are not normal

Marketers and ad folks don’t exactly mirror ‘middle America’—we watch less TV, take more risks, and live very different lives from our audiences.

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