Astonishment and confusion are not the same thing. - 28 August 2026
This week's thread
This week I spoke to a magician whose job, just like marketers', is to capture and hold attention.
When a magician fails, the failure is immediate and obvious. The trick collapses. So magicians know things about attention that marketers do not.
On the surface this conversation is about tricks. But really it is about the mechanics of holding a room, earning trust one tiny interaction at a time.
What I learned this week
How to hold attention: magician style
With Neil Kelso.
- Separate astonishment from confusion with clarity. If your audience does not understand what happened, they cannot be amazed that it happened.
- Treat attention as a promise. Getting noticed creates an expectation that you must repeatedly repay.
- Do not ask for trust, build it. Give your audience evidence they can trust you through consistent, positive interactions.
Why marketers should care: A magician's craft is a laboratory for attention. If magicians can grip an audience for hours on end, their insight can certainly help marketers structuring presentations, building user journeys, or developing campaigns.
This week's concept
Clever innovation
Creative ideas for brand growth and behaviour change.
The thread, pulled tight
Growth is not always about a new product or a bigger budget. The most effective moves often come from finding simple, elegant ways to change behaviour or solve a problem that everyone else accepts as normal.
Continue the thread
What is the simplest, quickest way you can build with an audience?
Reply with the best example you've seen. I read every response, and the best ones often end up on Uncommon Thread.
Keep pulling the thread