The Art of the Incomplete

In many ways, it’s easier to say it all. You’ve got a brand new product (or service, or proposition) with a long list of newsworthy features. You’re ready to stake your place and stand apart from your competitors. Create that campaign. List those features. Explain the benefits. Lay out the what, the why, and the how. Leave no room for question.

In B2B, complex sales funnels make this tell-all trap even easier to fall into. But what if, in doing so, you miss one crucial factor? The space in between. Space for your audience to really engage (and participate) with your message. 

Leaving something just a little unfinished – like dots ready to be joined – can be a much more impactful approach.

From broadcasters to facilitators

We’ve all felt the temptation to pile in information; keep adding more, explain and explain again, ‘here are all the reasons we’re the best’.

But if our ultimate goal as B2B marketers is to stand out and persuade action, it’s time we considered a different approach.

Instead of simply broadcasting to our target segments, we should see ourselves as facilitators, with the role of creating a two-way relationship between brand and decision-maker. In doing so, we can establish a collaborative, consultative relationship from the very first interaction.

In other words, it means creating a ‘curiosity gap’ for customers to find their way through. 

What does behavioural psychology tell us?

The Zeigarnik effect, named after Bluma Zeigarnik, the Lithuanian scientist who discovered it, is the phenomenon by which the human brain better remembers things that are left unfinished. 

That means incomplete tasks, unsolved riddles and unanswered questions take front row seats in the memory centres of our brains. 

It all comes down to loops. When we leave a task unfinished, we create an open loop. An open loop leads to ‘cognitive tension’ – feelings of unease – because human beings have an innate desire for completeness. 

Obviously, this cognitive tension serves a function. It ensures that the incomplete task stays at the front of our mind. ‘Remember to finish me soon’, it says. When we do finally finish the task, we close the loop. Closing the loop gives us a rush of dopamine, a nice feeling of satisfaction and reward. Tick.

When it comes to marketing, understanding this basic principle of opening and closing loops can work in our favour. If we can strategically plant these loops in our marketing activity, and encourage engagement on a cognitive level, we can improve memorability and foster that all important connection between brand and customer. 

How are brands using this to their advantage?

As a case-in-point for British Airways’ powerful brand recognition, the Reflections outdoor campaign hid their logo in plain sight and proved that even at an obscure angle, its connotations can hold altitude.

This campaign is an expert play at creating the curiosity gap we mentioned previously. It literally places the viewer inside the plane and allows them to build their own mental picture, to complete their own narrative. The viewer ‘closes the loop’ when they notice the BA logo, and then feels the reward of understanding the inferred meaning. That’s a lot of impact for an ad with no copy.

IKEA – Wherever Life Goes

A masterclass in showcasing products, without actually showing products. IKEA captures the hearts and minds of their audience by showing a deep understanding of how their products fit into evolving lives. They draw on emotive truths, niche use-cases, and relatable life moments to create a dialogue with their customer.

Again, here, the viewer is left to draw their own conclusions, to close the loop, to take the suggestions and make their own mental leap to reach a resolution.

While these campaigns are masterclasses in B2C, the same logic can be applied to the world of B2B. Behavioural psychology influences business decision makers in just the same way as any other human being, after all.

What becomes crucial is finding the right approach. 

Striking the balance

• Do prioritise strong creative concepts
  The campaigns we spotlighted are held together by one clear, single-minded concept, otherwise, the messages within them would be weakened. When we’re bold enough to dabble in the incomplete, a solid conceptual foundation is key.

• Don’t create click bait
  Of course, the principle of unfinished, incomplete messages is one of the main underpinnings of clickbait and spam. That’s not where we’re going with this, so be sure to choose your moment wisely and resist using this technique in all comms.
  

• Do consider the funnel
  Awareness and early-stage thought leadership are the ideal spaces for this creative approach. As we descend through the pipeline, we risk entering the territory of the previous point. We want to drive action, not irritation.
  

• Don’t sacrifice clarity
  Whatever you do, if your underlying message isn’t clear as day, it’s not working.

• Do take risks
  Remember, testing new approaches and taking measured creative risks can pay off. The trick is to set up testing frameworks that make learnings clear and actionable for future use. 

Where we come in

As a strategic and creative partner, we are well versed in traversing creative horizons and bringing fresh perspectives to our clients’ briefs. We underpin head-turning campaigns with razor-sharp strategy to unlock new ways of connecting with your audience and building brand equity.

If you’d like to chat about working with us, drop us a line.