The floating ☁️🏠☁️ house strategy

I’m sitting on the couch finishing up some copy last night when Aggie jumps up (full bodyweight) to greet me.

I was prepared for a cute, sloppy kiss and maybe a nuzzle.

But instead she went full Stranger Things “Demodog” on me, play-growling, bowing, and trying to get me to play tug-of-war.

As cute as it was, it was also really annoying. This was like the fifth time she’d done it.

“Ugh,” I turned to Kiara. “This one REALLY needs a walk. Let’s take her through the neighborhood.”

Aggie rushes to the door at the mention of a walk. And moments later we’re off, admiring the very early Fall tinges of red and yellow on the trees.

About halfway through the excursion, though, I see something odd.

Across the street, hovering in the air about 10 feet above the ground is …

A HOUSE?

I rub my eyes to make sure it’s not just an optical illusion.

Nope.

There was a literal house hovering inexplicably in the air.

Against my better judgment I rush across the street with Aggie and Kiara to get a better look.

Turns out the truth may have been even scarier than the illusion.

Because as I came up to the property, I realized that the entire 2-story, 3 bedroom+ house was perched atop 4 stacks of uneven, Jenga-style wood columns.

I swear, one small earthquake — heck, one small BUMP — would send this thing toppling over.

Here’s a photo:

Crazy, right?

Now … in some situations, this is exactly what you want your copy to do.

You want it to pull people in like your eyes to a floating house in the middle of the neighborhood.

And it’s possible with something called “pattern interruption.”

I didn’t invent this idea, of course.

And many others have done it much better than I have … but the basic concept is to present a very different — even shocking — idea, concept, or visual in your marketing or copy that people can’t help but pay attention to.

Social media advertising is basically built on this idea.

And I may date myself by saying this, but do you remember the Facebook ads with the little red circles? That’s what I’m talking about.

The problem where most marketers and writers mess up, in my opinion, is going too far outside the boundaries of what you’re actually selling … making the resulting piece of copy one big shock tactic with no real meat.

Ie, sitting the “house” on a bunch of Jenga blocks.

Don’t do that.

Do make your house — er, copy — float (in a sea of normal houses sitting on the ground, of course).

Okay this analogy is getting weird.

Bye.

David Patrick