Awhile ago, I met some friends in Ghiradelli Square. They hadn't been out to San Francisco for awhile and so underestimated the traffic. I had time to kill. If you've ever visited the Square, you know there's not much there. I ended up reading the ads (which I'm inclined to do anyway).

One caught my eye for a Ghiradelli Sunday which featured a big image of a hot fudge sunday (which is good — it looked appetizing) accompanied with the text:

"Now, 33% more fudge!"

Ummm.... Really?

What consumer says to herself, 'Well, I wasn't going to get an ice cream but since there's 33% more fudge, I'm going to rush right out, stand in line, fight for a table and have one!'

No one needs an ice cream; people usually buy ice cream emotionally, especially in a tourist spot (i.e., 'Ice cream's not really good for me, but I'm on vacation so I feel self indulgent.')

Mixing in an analytical appeal (33% more!) kicks in the wrong part of the brain. The part of the brain that reviews choices rationally, worries about calories and what's already been eaten on the trip, analyzes the price and how much the trip is costing, and generally moves the consumer into the wrong mental state.

An emotional appeal based on 'stopping and smelling the roses' or 'enjoying an authentic San Francisco tradition' would have worked better with this audience and kept people in the right state of mind.