The simple genius behind that long-forgotten Google Chrome ad

We trust simple promises more than long lists. When brands focus on a clear benefit, it feels more credible than trying to do everything at once. Take it from Google.

When Chrome came out in 2009 they called it: “The fast browser. They used the same line over and over again in several different advertisements. It’s a good line. But think for a moment about all the attributes that Google didn’t mention.

They didn’t mention how passwords are synced, how strong the security is, or what integrations are possible with Gmail. They didn’t mention any extensions, stability or automatic updates. They could have done it, but instead they focused on a benefit. Speed.

The campaign worked. Chrome is now the most popular browser in the world, capturing 71% of the market. Saying less can make your product feel more effective. Adding benefits can actually weaken persuasiveness. Here’s why.

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The target dilution effect

Google Chrome’s simple advertising campaign is an example of the target dilution effect. This cognitive bias causes people to believe that products are less effective if they achieve multiple goals rather than just one specific goal. In short, the more benefits you give, the less credible those benefits are.

In a 2007 study by Zhang and Fishbach, participants were given information about how eating tomatoes might achieve specific goals.

• Some are told that eating tomatoes achieves only one goal: “prevent cancer.”

• Others are told that eating tomatoes achieves two goals: “Help prevent cancer and degenerative diseases of the eye.”

Zhang and Fishbach found that participants rated tomatoes as 12% more effective at preventing cancer when that was the only benefit listed, compared to an additional health benefit.

The Beauty of Simplicity: Five Guys

Five Guys benefited from the same bias in 1986 when Jerry Murrell opened its first store. They didn’t try to be a jack of all trades. They focused on an advantage, and this focus increased the credibility of their claims.

On the Nudge Podcast, Richard Shotton explained how the Five Guys founder was inspired by the long lines at Thrasher’s Fries in Ocean City, Maryland. He is quoted as saying: “There must have been 20 places selling boardwalk fries, but only one place had a long line.”

Why were thrashers so popular? Well, according to Murrell, it was their focus. Thrasher only offered fries, nothing else.

Five Guys repeated the same tactic. Instead of offering side salads, desserts, fish fillets and other items typical of fast food outlets. Five Guys offered only the bare minimum: burgers and fries.

This simple menu helped Five Guys explode in popularity. The chain exploded in the mid-2010s, growing by over 700% in six years. Since the menu is limited, the brand could focus on making great burgers and fries. And with the target dilution effect, customers got the message.

Less is more

Chrome and Five Guys remind us that restraint is a strategy. When you strip away everything a product can do and focus on what it does best, people believe. The strengths cannot be overlooked. So it’s not always the brands that have the most to offer. They are the ones who know what they do best and trust their customers to do the rest.