Get Your Glitch On: How to Make Your Brand the Odd One Out

There's been a notion taking up space in my brain lately, and it flares up like a rash whenever I see an exceptionally cool brand campaign. 

Three words: Be the glitch.

Our brains are primed for pattern recognition. We’re constantly scanning for what doesn’t belong—visual and tonal hiccups that don’t fit in. They make us hesitate. 

And that hesitation? That’s gold.

Let’s Talk Glitches.

This isn’t just some whimsical thought haphazardly plucked from the ether; it’s cemented in psychology.

The Von Restorff Effect, also dubbed the “isolation effect,” predicts that when multiple similar stimuli are clumped together, the oddball out—the one that stands apart—gets seared into memory. Originally coined by German psychiatrist and pediatrician Hedwig von Restorff in 1933, she discovered that participants were more likely to remember a standout item in a list of homogeneous items.

You can try thinking of it this way: You’re at a dinner party. People are dressed nicely. There are a few exceptionally stylish ensembles, and you comment on them politely. Maybe you ask someone where they got their shoes.

And then in walks a guest confidently clad in a velvet bathrobe. They look… great. Honestly, it works. But it’s 100% a bathrobe.

Just like that, everything around them becomes a little bit more muted. They are the relaxed anomaly in a sea of (comparatively) stiff dinner garb. The shoes you asked about earlier shine slightly dimmer.

It's not just memorable; it's unforgettable. Weeks later, people are still talking about "the bathrobe guest.”

That’s because our minds latch onto difference like a magnet to metal; we're wired for it.

The underlying magic? Our brain’s tendency is to give special treatment to disruptive forces. Empirical studies show that not only does this effect result in better memory retention, but it also triggers higher amplitudes in brain activity—we literally get excited whenever a glitch shows up.

So, why should you care?

In the vast expanse of brand voices, it can feel safe to fit in. To join the choir. To do what your competitor does, just better. But that’s a mistake. You don’t want to blend in. If your brand's voice sounds like just another “hey girly” or “we’re revolutionizing so-and-so,” you're on the express train to the cognitive trash bin. Deleted. Forgotten.

But if it stands out, oh boy.

You get mentally hoarded. You become that delightful anomaly in someone’s daily scroll, the pattern breaker that makes them stop and think.

Look at how Liquid Death has made a name simply by packaging water (it’s literally water) in metal cans. Check how Duolingo became the It Girl of language-learning apps by being the first to introduce truly unhinged social marketing tactics via a bright green owl mascot. Hell, think back on Adam Sandler dressed in basketball shorts at the freakin’ Oscars.

I know you know what I’m talking about, and that’s exactly the point.

How do you become that glitch?

It’s easier than it sounds. More than anything, it takes the bravery to experiment and the wit to make it work.

Maybe it's an unexpectedly casual tone for a luxury brand. Maybe it’s a collaboration between two brands previously believed to be asynchronous (hair dye and video games? Call it “Customize Your Avatar IRL”). Whatever it is, it has to be something that injects a little bit of unexpected into the status quo.

So, next time you're crafting something—whether it's an ad, a marketing campaign, or even just picking an outfit for your next fancy dinner shindig—remember the magic formula: a dash of knowing your audience, a sprinkle of unabashed confidence, and just the right amount of 'wtf'.

Go ahead.

Be the visual hiccup.

Be the pattern breaker.

Be the post thumbs pause on mid-scroll.

And, most of all, make it count.