One Weird Walz

It was  a decade ago on the internet.

Cats was hazzin cheeburgs, Risk Astley was popping up when least expected, and everyone was clicking on “one weird trick” ads.

Since the internet is both immortal and ages in dog years – seven internet years for every regular one – the digital power of the word “weird” may have slipped a few memories.

But apparently not the Kamala Harris campaign. Or maybe it did or maybe the 20-somethings that run it had no idea of the advertising power of  “one weird trick.”

The phrase “one weird trick” was THE go-to advertising internet advertiser clickbait only 10 or so years ago.  Everyone – it seemed – would click on something about “one weird trick.”

(Note – the phrase will be “OWT” from now on.  That’s my own “one weird trick” to not have to type “one weird trick” so often. See – it’s catching.)

OWT often involved health issues, like “OWT to get rid of diabetes” or “OWT trick to eat healthier” or whatever.

The trend was so persuasive that even Slate, back when they weren’t a parody of themselves – wrote about it.

What about all the weirdness? “A word like ‘weird’ is not so negative, and kind of intriguing,” says Oleg Urminsky of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. “There’s this foot-in-the-door model. If you lead with a strong, unbelievable claim it may turn people off. But if you start with ‘isn’t this kind of weird?’ it lowers the stakes.” The model also explains why some ads ask you to click on your age first. “Giving your age is low-stakes but it begins the dialogue. The hard sell comes later.”

Advertisements also involved ads claiming to offer “OWT to finding a mate” or “OWT trick rich people don’t tell anyone else” or even “OWT to be a reasonably compassionate human being.”

That last one tended not to get any clicks, mostly because I made it up.

Now, the idea behind the OWT clickbait has morphed. On one side, there are “life hack” ads that promise a home free from ants if you would only use this common household product…”

It’s called bug spray, by the way.

Or, instead of actually writing “OWT,” the ad just shows one weird thing.

Being of a certain age, it is not terrible of me to play internet hearts while waiting for an email or a phone call. That’s why I – and, to tell the truth, you – see the new version of OWT aimed at older folks.  The ad typically says “doctors say this can cure edema” under a picture of the oddest looking east Asian fruit you have ever seen – something that look like white chocolate intestines?  And you just have to find out about this weird thing. 

Click.

And the weird is the key. And the weird is why Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is now running for Vice President.

Using that single word a few weeks ago “resonated,” as they say, with the nascent Harris for President-ish campaign. They knew they needed a white guy to “balance “the ticket and add in  the internet reaction to describing Donald Trump and J.D. Vance “weird” Walz was just the ticket.

It wasn’t too too explicitly  mean, it highlights differences from society (i.e. it is a very nasty “othering” tern like “illegal alien,) and it could never be challenged on a factual basis.  Everyone thinks certain somethings someone else does is weird.

The Harris campaign picked up on this potential creation of a ”cone of oddity” and ran with – and will on – it.

One of the actually weird things about Walz being picked is how it is so simultaneously similar and the complete opposite of how Kamal got picked (note – Joe: you want that one back?  Harris may not wear stilettos but she certainly knows how to use one…)

Harris had three white guy finalists:  Walz, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro:

‘They, at least look very very different from her.  Shapiro – and I cannot believe I’m typing this in 2024 – was bounced because he is Jewish and Kelly eventually was passed by because he’s from Arizona and the last thing the Harris campaign needs is anything to remind people of the border with Mexico and her abject failure as its “tsarina.”

Walz also seems like a good natured uncle, which fits into a Harris’ campaign based on “joy” rather than anything else.

Throw in “weird” as a Trump descriptor and, oddly enough, you end up back in 2020. Harris campaign is a smiley version of Biden’s “adults in the room” push.

And the fact they think the public will fall for that – again – may be the weirdest thing of all.