Copy shared a million times [3]People retweet without looking at the content.
Hello, I'm Yukio Hashiguchi. This series introduces content from my book, "Copy That Gets Shared a Million Times." Last time, I explained that copy shared online can be categorized into four types: "genuine feelings," "surprise," "empathy," and "antipathy." This time, I'd like to focus on "surprise."
CM planner Takuma Takasaki points out in his book that variety show performers always show surprise before they laugh. Among human emotions, "surprise" is the fastest. It's said that about 60% of Twitter users retweet links without even clicking them※. I believe this reflexive reaction makes "surprise" well-suited for social media.
*Based on a 2016 study by Columbia University and France's National Institute for Research in Computer Science and Control
Looking more closely at projects utilizing "surprise," they can be divided into two types.
One type involves a reveal after the initial surprise, allowing the audience to experience catharsis with a "So that's how it was!" moment. Twist-ending movies fall into this category.
The other type involves "surprise" without any explanation or follow-up, leaving viewers feeling abandoned with a reaction like "What the heck was that lol?" This category includes content often described as surreal.
From here, we'll analyze the former as "Resolving Surprise" and the latter as "Non-Resolving Surprise." We'll start with a case I handled.
Surprise (Recoverable) Case Study:
"The Woman Who Looks Best in 3D in the World." (Sadako 3D / Kadokawa Shoten / 2012)
In 2012, Sadako, Japan's most terrifying horror queen, made her comeback in her first "3D" incarnation. Everyone went to the theater expecting "surprise." We reasoned that rather than explaining the story or cast in ads, actually delivering the "surprise" audiences anticipated would generate buzz. We advanced the project without finalizing outputs like the movie trailer or posters, but one thing we were very conscious of was creating "something people would want to photograph and share."
The "Mega Sadako" photo was inspired by a rough sketch by Art Director Gen Tanaka. Having a giant Sadako roam around in a car would undoubtedly "shock" anyone who saw it. People would share the photos, too. But we didn't stop there. We asked: Could we boost the motivation to share even more? That's how we came up with
The woman who looks best in 3D in the world.
To outline the target audience's anticipated reaction:
1) See Mega Sadako
2) They'll be surprised, thinking "What is this?"
3) See the copy: "The woman who looks best in 3D in the world."
4) Realizes, "Oh, it's an ad for Sadako 3D!"
5) They take a photo and share it
To simplify:
"Surprise" → "Recovery" → "Share"
That's the flow.
As intended, many people on social media shared the Mega Sadako photo paired with the copy "The woman who looks best in 3D in the world." You can see how the copy clarifies the appeal point, making it a stronger advertisement.
Surprise (Non-Recovery Type) Case Study: "Ishida Mitsunari CM"
Click the image to view the video on YouTube
This is a PR video for "Shiga Prefecture" featuring the Sengoku-period warlord Ishida Mitsunari in a cheap, old-school regional commercial vibe. Nowhere does it explain why they're advertising a warlord. Because the "surprise" isn't resolved, everyone who sees it can't help but react with "Why the hell are they using Ishida Mitsunari in a commercial lol?" Reacting = sharing, so the buzz spreads.
While there's no explicit payoff, featuring Ishida Mitsunari inevitably puts his home prefecture, Shiga, in the spotlight, making it function well as an ad (they even have a site introducing tourist spots related to Mitsunari). Imagine if this were "Ishida Mitsunari promoting Shiga Prefecture" instead of "Shiga Prefecture promoting Ishida Mitsunari." Wouldn't it instantly become just another ordinary tourism campaign, losing all its impact? If it were revealed as "Shiga Prefecture's advertisement," the lack of surprise would prevent any genuine understanding or witty remarks, and sharing wouldn't be expected.
The seemingly bizarre appeal point of "Ishida Mitsunari" has the advantage of sparking conversation. As a history fan myself, history is something you want to talk about with others. The YouTube comments section for the Mitsunari CM is filled with remarks like "The ones hitting the dislike button must be the Eastern Army," which itself becomes a form of entertainment.
Expressing a "conversation-generating appeal" through "non-payoff surprise." I believe this is how the shareable structure of the Ishida Mitsunari CM can be analyzed.
Next time, we'll cover Rule #3: "Empathy."
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Author
Yukio Hashiguchi
Dentsu Inc.
Notable works include the Netflix series "The Three-Body Problem," the "Tomorrow May Never Come" campaign, World Innocence Day's "Truth Can Be Distorted," Nidec's "Moving the World. Changing the Future," and Itochu Corporation's "What Do You Want to Be? Exhibition? with Barbie." Founder of the DEI-specialized creative team BORDERLESS CREATIVE. Recipient of numerous domestic and international advertising awards. Author of "Word Diet" and "100-Idea Thinking." Has over 24,000 followers on X. Enjoys watching movies.
Hospitality in hospitals. What is "Hospitality"?Ars Electronica 2016 ReportCopy shared a million timesDentsu Design TalkWord Diet100-Idea Thinking: Eliminate "I can't write," "I can't think of anything," and "It won't get approved."The Words of Yukio Hashiguchi: The Front Line【Web Dentsu Inc. News 10th Anniversary】Want to know what happened next with that popular article?Monthly CX
