Don’t Taste Like Water
- Jan 12
- 2 min read
The caveman kneels at the edge of the river.
Twenty hunters fan out behind him.
Spears down.
Breath held.
No one speaks.
The water is still.
Too still to trust.
He drags his fingers through it first.
Watches the ripples.
Listens.
Then he leans in.
Slow.
Careful.
He sniffs.
Nothing.
He dips his tongue.
Just a flick.
Just enough.
Nothing again.
The hunters tense.
One of them whispers, “Is it dead?”
The caveman shakes his head.
“No taste.”
Another asks, “That good?”
The caveman nods.
“That safe.”
Everyone exhales.
They relax.
They drink.
They live.
This is not luck.
Psychophysicist Mark Changizi explains that water tastes like “nothing” because our brains are hardwired to perceive it that way.
Not because it lacks flavour.
Pure water became the baseline.
The reference point.
The null condition.
Anything that tastes different stands out.
And standing out once meant danger.
Metal.
Rot.
Poison.
Cut.
It’s 2026.
The cave is gone.
The river is gone.
The brain is not.
A customer scrolls.
Fast.
Suspicious.
Brands rush past like streams.
Same fonts.
Same tone.
Same promise.
Clean.
Clear.
Carefully harmless.
The brain tastes them.
Nothing.
It doesn’t argue.
It doesn’t analyse.
It filters.
Not because the brand is bad.
Because it feels safe.
Most brands optimise for safety.
They polish.
They soften.
They sand everything down until nothing sticks.
They call it professional.
The market never even registers it.
Back in the cave, flavour meant danger.
In 2026, flavour means signal.
Contrast tells the brain to stop.
Edges tell it to look closer.
A point of view tells it this matters.
Brands don’t die because they offend people.
They die because no one notices them.
Safe kills attention.
Be bold, not bland.
Or be gone.
PS. If you don’t know jewellery, know your jeweller. That’s Buffett’s rule. It’s the same with messaging. Smart ideas die in boring words. If you don’t know the game, find a partner who does, because your reputation is on the line. I help thinkers, rebels, and disruptors say what they mean and make it stick. Step up. Bring your message. I’ll bring the punch. You’ve got one shot to say it right. I’ll help you take it.