Performance vs Value

Being a freelancer has helped distance me from a frustrating feature of modern work: we have built increasingly sophisticated systems for measuring employee performance while remaining remarkably primitive at recognizing employee value.

We have dashboards.

We have metrics.

We have quarterly objectives.

We have calibration meetings.

We have competency frameworks.

We have seventeen different ways to say “good job.”

And somehow the conversation about actually paying someone appropriately still seems to require the organizational equivalent of a hostage negotiation.

I realize budgets are complicated.

I realize businesses have constraints.

I realize money doesn't grow on trees.

But neither does expertise.

And unlike money, expertise tends to walk out the door to be around people who understand that creativity needs oxygen, that good ideas rarely emerge from exhausted people staring at dashboards, and that human beings are not software licenses that can simply be reassigned when someone leaves.

When I asked a friend why she just left a high profile job, her one line answer perfectly summed up a situation many of us find (or have found) ourselves in: “I want to remember what it feels like to finish a day without mentally drafting my resignation letter.”

Pattern Interrupt for Marketing Writers

I dropped the phrase “pattern interrupt” in a meeting the last week.

One of the execs in the room (who shouldn’t have been in the room, but marketing seems to be run by committee too often these days) asked what I meant.

I responded with something along the lines of: “Pattern Interrupt is a psychological technique where you disrupt the audience’s routine thought patterns to grab their attention. In marketing, we use it to shift the prospect's focus to your message.”

Even to me, that sounded more academic than helpful (maybe being in a room of "suits" brought that out of me), so I continued:

“Imagine you're scrolling through your social media feed ... everything looks sort of the same. Suddenly, a bold, unexpected headline or a quirky image stops you mid-scroll. That’s pattern interrupt in action. It shakes up the ordinary and forces your brain to pay attention.”

 
Ahh, that sounded better, so I capped it off with “The goal is to keep audiences engaged, curious, and wanting more ... to turn passive readers into active participants.”
 
I had the room, but one person still had a “I’m not convinced” look on their face. So I added, “The human brain loves predictability but is wired to respond to novelty. By introducing something unexpected or unusual, you create a cognitive jolt that draws people in.”
 
Now I was rolling.
 
“Think about an unexpected headline or humor or shocking statistic that pushes people to not rely on their go to responses.”

And that interaction inspired this blog post … so here's a quick outline of  how marketing writers can use pattern interrupt effectively:

How to Use Pattern Interrupt in Marketing Copy

1. Unexpected Headlines

• Example: Instead of a predictable headline like, “Struggling with Your Finances?”, go for something jarring like, “Why Saving Money Is Ruining Your Life”. The latter creates curiosity and demands explanation.

Why it works: The reader’s usual expectation (that saving is good) is challenged, sparking intrigue.

 

• Another Example: “Fire Your Morning Coffee—This Will Wake You Up Faster.” 

Why it works: This headline disrupts a cherished routine and replaces it with a bold claim. Readers feel compelled to find out what could possibly replace their beloved coffee. 

 

2. Humor or Absurdity

• Example: "This Soap Is So Natural, It Pays Taxes." 

Why it works: Humor paired with exaggeration disrupts the norm and creates a memorable moment.

 

•  Another Example: “Our Toothpaste Won’t Make You Rich, But Your Smile Might.” 

Why it works: It combines a playful twist with an indirect compliment, sparking a grin and curiosity. The humor lightens the pitch while emphasizing the benefit. 

 

3. Surprising Visuals or Words

• Example: Imagine an ad for noise-canceling headphones showing a rock concert with the text: “Hear Silence. Even Here.” 

Why it works: The unexpected juxtaposition of a loud environment with the promise of silence creates a stark and memorable image.

 

• Another Example: Pairing unexpected imagery with copy. Imagine an ad for a sleek electric car showing a gas powered car being pulled by horses with the caption, “Time for an Upgrade?”  

Why it works: The image contrasts with modern expectations, making the message stand out.

 

4. Break Grammar Rules

• Example: “Comfy. Stylish. Affordable. Nope, not your couch—your shoes.”

Why it works: The clipped sentence fragments break conventional grammar, creating a conversational tone that mirrors how people naturally speak and think. 

 

• Another Example: "This isn’t a normal ad. Because normal doesn’t work anymore. You’re here for different."

Why it works: Short, choppy sentences and unconventional grammar create a rhythm that interrupts the expected flow.

 

5. Address the Reader’s Thoughts

• Example: “Yeah, we know—‘Not another skin cream.’ But this one’s different. Here’s why...” 

Why it works: You disrupt their assumptions and establish a connection. The copy acknowledges the reader's potential skepticism, instantly building trust by showing the brand “gets” them and their concerns. 

 

• Another Example: ‘Oh, no … another weight loss program.’ Don’t worry …this isn’t one. It’s a life upgrade.” 

Why it works: By preempting the reader’s likely reaction, the copy breaks their defenses. It reframes the product in a new light, encouraging them to reconsider their assumptions. 

 

6. Shock with Statistics

• Example: “80% of jobs in 2030 don’t exist yet. How are you preparing for the future?” 

Why it works: The statistic is both surprising and forward-thinking, triggering urgency in the reader. It also positions the product (related to education or skills) as a solution to an unexpected problem. 

 

• Another Example: “The average person eats 7,000 pounds of food a year—that’s like eating an elephant. Ready to rethink your diet?” 

Why it works: The startling comparison grabs attention and contextualizes the statistic in a way that is visually and emotionally engaging.  Stark, unexpected statistics demand attention and prompt action. 

 

7. Start in the Middle of a Story

• Example: "She was running late—coffee in one hand, toddler in the other—when the car refused to start. Sound familiar?"

Why it works: Dropping readers directly into the action creates urgency and interest.

  

• Another Example: “The email subject line read: ‘We need to talk.’ His heart sank ... until he read the rest of it.”

Why it works: This opening is emotionally charged and universally relatable, making readers eager to know the resolution. It also sets up an intriguing entry point for the product or service.

 

Tips to Make Pattern Interrupt Effective

• Keep It Relevant: The disruption should align with your brand message; don’t be weird for the sake of being weird.
  
  
• Know Your Audience: What interrupts one group might confuse or alienate another.
  
  
• Follow Through: Once you’ve grabbed attention, ensure the rest of your message delivers value and clarity.

 

Final Word: Creatively break the monotony ... but after you captivate, convert.

_________________________

Back to the meeting: At that point in the meeting, even though I had made a small gain, I knew that the real challenge was going to be getting too large of a group of people, each with too much input (and ego), to approve a campaign without watering down the concept to a point where it would be anywhere close to pattern interrupt.

The Anarchy of My Desk

 

My desk is a disaster. Not the dramatic kind. No moldy sandwiches. No opossums living in it. Just stacks of papers, half-used notebooks, receipts, sticky notes, and pens that seem to reproduce at night.

Every so often I try to organize it. The desk usually wins after about 14 minutes.

Which is not a terrible thing. Because the mess has some magic to it.

While a clean desk is efficient with everything sitting exactly where it should waiting politely to be used, it’s a bit lifeless. A messy desk, however, has side quests and plot twists. It creates accidents. Good ones.

I go looking for one thing and trip over 3 others. An old idea wanders out from under a pile like it just woke up from hibernation. A forgotten observation clears its throat from beneath a stack of unopened mail like, “Hey. I’m relevant again.” The desk, in its chaotic wisdom, refuses to let my thoughts become too obedient.

Neat systems are good at storage. A clean desk says: “Everything in its place.”

A messy desk says: “Maybe these things belong together and nobody noticed yet.” The mess creates friction. Friction creates wandering. And wandering is where some of the best ideas live.

I’m not saying chaos is a productivity strategy. Neat systems are good at storage. Mess, however, is good at collisions. And collisions fuel creativity.

Stop Painting the House Before You Pour the Foundation

 Why You Need to Know the Difference Between Brand and Branding

Somewhere out there this morning,
a business owner woke up, opened their laptop,
sipped their coffee, and declared to the universe:

“Today, we work on our brand. Let’s make the logo bigger.”

And somewhere, a brand strategist screamed into a decorative throw pillow.

The number of companies mixing up brand and branding is starting to rival the number of companies claiming they’re “revolutionizing” their industry by adding an app.

Brand and branding are not twins. 
They’re not cousins. They’re not even on the same group chat. And missing the differentiation can waste resources and negatively impact your business.

Brand is who you are. Branding is how you show up.
One is your personality. The other is your outfit.

Your brand is the stuff that lives in people’s heads after they’ve experienced you: feelings, associations, trust (or lack thereof). It’s the emotional residue.

Your branding is the stuff you manufacture to influence that feeling: your voice, your visuals, your packaging, the way your customer service rep sounds like they’ve had an actual human emotion at least once.

Brand = Perception. Branding = Presentation.

Not the same. Never will be. 

   => Brand is emotional. Branding is intentional. 

   => Brand is the story your audience tells themselves. Branding is the story you wish they’d tell, so you polish, tweak, craft, adjust, redesign, and pray it comes across the way you intended.

   => Brand is the soul. Branding is the stage makeup. Without soul, the makeup looks like… well… makeup.

And here’s the part no one wants to hear: You don’t get to decide your brand.

That’s right. You can nudge it, guide it, whisper sweet nothings to it, but at the end of the day, your audience is holding the steering wheel. They decide what you mean to them.

Your job is to create branding that helps them get there faster and with fewer navigation errors.

Mistaking branding for brand is how you end up decorating a house that doesn’t exist.

You wouldn’t hang curtains on a construction site. You wouldn’t install hardwood floors on a patch of dirt. You wouldn’t try to paint walls that don’t exist.

Yet somehow, businesses do this daily:

“Let’s get new business cards!” Cool. And what exactly are those cards supposed to represent?

“Let’s redo the website!” Awesome. Why should anyone care what’s on it?

You must build the house (the brand) before you pick the paint (the branding).

Get the order right, and everything feels effortless. Get it wrong, and everything feels inconsequential (and expensive).

Brand first. Branding second.

Know who you are. Then show who you are. In that order. And no, there aren’t any shortcuts. 

If you learn the difference, you’ll stop wasting money on shiny things that don’t matter and start investing in the truth of your business … which actually does matter.

Because once the foundation is solid, you can paint the walls whatever color you want. And people will actually care enough to walk through the door.