Your source for knowledge, reports, thought leadership, and other tomfoolery. No fluff. No folklore. Just sticky, science-backed brand truth.

The Most ABSurd Blog

Ethan Decker Ethan Decker

Stories beat montages

System1 found story-driven ads—real characters, real plots—beat flashy montages every time.

Read More
Ethan Decker Ethan Decker

How fragile is your brand?

Warren Buffett says reputations die fast—but VW’s Dieselgate shows brands bounce back way easier than people do.

Read More
Ethan Decker Ethan Decker

The science of Zoom fatigue

We all know Zoom fatigue is real—and it’s not just mental; our brains simply aren’t built for nonstop eye contact, self-view, and talking heads.

Read More
Ethan Decker Ethan Decker

Cognitive illusions

Charm pricing works like an optical illusion—once you see the trick, you still can’t unsee it.

Read More
Ethan Decker Ethan Decker

How to be less human

Mondelēz says it’s moving from marketing to ‘humaning’—because nothing says human like inventing a new corporate buzzword.

Read More
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.

Read More
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.

Read More
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.

Read More