Have you ever stumbled across something so offbeat, so brashly out of sync with the day’s droning rhythm, that you not only remembered it, you had to grab someone by the sleeve and blurt, “You’ve got to see this”? That’s not marketing. That’s memory theft. That’s the power of being different.
Every day chewing its way through a daily buffet of bland, sameness gets swallowed whole. Every brand, every creator, every keyboard-armed entrepreneur is scrapping not just for a glance, but for residency in someone’s long-term memory.
That’s where pattern interruption swings in, boots on the table, tossing the script into the shredder.
It’s not a tactic. It’s a decision. A defiance. A choice to do what others wouldn’t dare. To swerve when the herd marches straight. To stop dancing to the industry drumbeat and start playing jazz in the middle of a boardroom.
Dr. Melissa Hughes, who lives at the crossroad of neuroscience and storytelling, nails it: "Our brains are wired to detect differences because that’s how we’ve evolved to survive and thrive. Unexpected stimuli instantly elevate our attention and become anchored in memory because they're neurologically coded as significant."
And then came the AI avalanche. Suddenly, anyone with a cursor became a content creator. Today, nearly 7 million blog posts pour into the void every day. Five years ago? Around 3 million. That’s a 133% spike, and the ink’s still flowing. Quantity exploded. Quality? That’s another debate.
Here’s the kicker. Your brain, my brain, that CMO’s brain, they can only consciously register a sliver of what’s thrown at them. Maybe 100 messages out of the 5,000-plus you see daily. The rest? Vapor. Unless something crashes through the noise. Unless it surprises.
Neuroscience backs it: novelty fires dopamine. Dopamine means focus. Focus means memory. Memory? That’s the money.
Look at Patagonia. “Don’t Buy This Jacket” wasn’t just a headline. It was a record scratch in a shopping mall. Or Tesla, which said “Nah” to traditional ads and let raw innovation do the shouting.
And in food? Oh, it gets tastier.
Wendy’s Troll-Roast Campaign Wendy’s Twitter didn’t just swerve, it tailspun into viral legend. By 2017, their feed was roasting frozen beef competitors and sass-bombing customers with the timing of a stand-up comic. The result?
Twitter followers leapt from 1 million to 4.5 million
Engagement numbers ballooned, with retweets and likes rolling in by the tens of thousands
Net income soared from $129.6M to $194M in 2017 alone
Then came the “Nuggs for Carter” phenom, 3.4 million retweets for a shot at free chicken. Social media history was made, and nuggets were devoured.
Brandon Rhoten: The Disruptor-in-Chief Behind the snark? Brandon Rhoten. He didn’t market. He ignited.
As VP of Digital at Wendy’s, he steered the brand into uncharted, unfiltered territory
Later, as CMO for Papa John’s and Potbelly, he doubled down on authenticity, boldness, and challenger tactics
His mantra: “Boring kills brands.” He wasn’t kidding
Why does it all matter?
Voice that sticks: Wendy’s was funny, sharp, and impossible to ignore
Culture hacks attention: Real-time roasts and meme play bought reach without paying for it
Laughs → Loyalty: Humor paved the path to purchase, and revenue followed
Pattern interruption isn’t just a wild idea. It’s a survival instinct. A strategy for brands who refuse to be beige.
Now think about the work you do. I’m inviting you to embrace the absurd. Look in the places where others won’t even glance. Dig into that one crazy idea you've been flirting with but never dared to greenlight. That weird spark might just be the gold vein you've been digging for.
And hey, remember that neurodivergent team member who keeps pitching ideas that sound completely off the rails? The one you keep telling to stay focused? Maybe, just maybe, it’s time to sit down and ask what they’ve been dreaming up lately.
