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That girl is poisonnnnnn
Every Tuesday, The Productive Disruptive delivers storytelling science, message makeovers, cultural commentary, and a little rebellious hope for anyone still stubborn enough to believe communication can change the world.
Dorian Johnson
June 17, 2025
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Ever just feel like we’re outnumbered?
Messaging and Communication for good people feels like David vs. ten Goliaths.
They’ve got ad dollars, algorithms, celebrity soundbites, and slick production.
We’ve got… Google Docs, Canva, and a grant(maybe).
Very deflating before we even hit the ground running.
We’re outresourced, obviously.
But we can’t just give up, we gotta do something.
When we can’t outspend the opposition, we have to outsmart them(and we've got massive brainpower).
And that’s where today’s storytelling strategy, The Poison Parasite Counter(PPC) comes in.
🧠Story Science Side Note: Robert Cialdini and colleagues uncovered a sneaky-smart strategy called the Poison Parasite Counter. It works by pairing a harmful message with a sticky counter-message so every time people hear the original, they recall yours. Thanks to associative memory and encoding specificity, your truth rides shotgun.
Here’s how it works
You recreate the opposition’s message in a way that people instantly recognize.
Then you embed a short, sticky counter-message into it(perhaps something funny, damning, or clarifying.)
Now, every time people see the original message again, they recall yours.
It’s memory judo.
Instead of fighting the message, you infect it.
You turn their ad into our ad. Their billboard into our Trojan horse.
A Classic Example
The “Marlboro Man” ain’t see this coming
No daily counter-campaign.
Just the planting of one parasite.
Now you can’t unsee the Marlboro Man(or cigarettes) without thinking about severe lung damage.
That's the play.
We know we can’t compete dollar for dollar, so let’s not.
What if we embed our strategy into narratives themselves?
That’s the poison parasite.
Their money’s long, their messages are loud, and the algorithm ain’t loyal to us.
But thankfully, we’re also not helpless. And a big strength? We’re clever.
So don’t start from scratch.
Start with their message, and rewrite it with a counter-message embedded.
Because if you can make your audience smirk, pause, or raise an eyebrow every time they hear the original?
That’s a strong start, and if you can discredit one thing of theirs… perhaps there’s a pocket of fallibility.
📝 Message Makeover: Health Equity is the ultimate goal for us, right? And I love it. Though, Health Equity can be challenging to define to the public. You’ve probably seen a garden metaphor, which, super helpful. Here’s how I like to makeover Health Equity.
Imagine you're playing Pac-Man.
Player 1 gets the standard 3 lives and the ghosts are out for Pac blood!
Player 2 starts on with double the lives, and a power pellet already loaded.
Suddenly, these outcomes aren’t about a players’ skill. It’s about what you started with.
Health equity means no matter what level you spawn in at, you should still be able to win. How might a story like this more easily explain Health Equity?
Player 1, always on the move, being chased. You can only run for so long.
Player 2, more easily able to overcome threats.
🛠️ The PHacilitator’s Corner:
Storytelling Prompt:
Write about a time the less powerful hero won(ex, David v Goliath I opened with)
What tactic turned the tide? Who or what got outflanked? Anything you can learn?
Smell ya later!