The isolation effect was studied and identified by German paediatrician Hedwig von Restorff back in 1933. Her study showed that highlighting an item in a list greatly increased recall.
This is a fairly clear discovery, and explains why students have always underlined content they want to remember 🤪
We see this principle in many contexts. In sport and entertainment, people have attracted attention not only through talent but through distinctive features: Ruud Gullit's hair, James Harden's beard or even Arnold Schwarzenegger's complicated name.
Gullit's famous dreadlocks
We can extend this concept and use it in marketing.
To capture attention and be remembered, we can use elements of the marketing mix that distinguish us from the crowd.
For example, an unusual advertisement or packaging that stands out on a shop shelf.
At the simplest level, changing shapes, sizes or colours can be enough.
Imagine seeing a pink elephant!
It would certainly attract attention and stay in your memory.
In the world of digital UX various studies and tests show that distinctive elements attract greater attention.
It is therefore useful to apply isolation to draw attention to strategically important elements.
On a landing page, for example, the CTA should have a colour that stands out and attracts notice.
In the following example, an A/B test showed that the red button produced a higher conversion rate than the green one.
