Talk:Rule of three (writing)

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"Third Time's a Charm"[edit]

I see no reference to the somewhat frequent occurrence, particularly in cinema, of an action taking three tries before the person performing it is successful. It seems to be a trope. Examples include someone with a gun shooting at a difficult target and missing twice before finally hitting it, tuning a radio or TV twice before arriving at the desired program, or someone searching for someone else or something unsuccessfully twice before finding their quarry the third time. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2600:1700:5DD0:60A0:C809:572:825A:E122 (talk) 16:57, 29 March 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Or:goal*time=evolve Blackresin Time Atlantis (talk) 09:34, 28 April 2021 (UTC)[reply]

music[edit]

The part on music is quite ridiculous, it has nothing to do with writing, this is the rule of three (writing) page! I removed it. 201.17.81.190 21:10, 4 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

comedy[edit]

"In comedy, it is suggested that maximum humor can be attained by creating a structure in which a joke is set up, the setup is reinforced, and the punchline breaks the pattern."

Isn't this nothing more than simply saying a joke has a beginning, middle and end? Citizen Premier 23:54, 30 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

No, it is quite different. To say a joke has a beginning, a middle and an end tells the reader nothing about the function of the different parts, whereas qualitatively describing the roles of these parts elucidates the concept for the reader. Genedecanter 01:40, 2 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I was hoping to see a mention of the Vaudevillian trick of telling basically the same joke three times in a row, with some words or characters swapped out. You see this a lot in modern shows like 30 Rock. Kit Cloudkicker (talk) 17:31, 16 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Is this a stub?[edit]

It seems woefully incomplete. Is this perhaps just some idea someone had or is this an established theory and practice. It needs filled out, and is fairly worthless in its present form.

Useful for classes[edit]

As a professor, I can say it was helpful to have a printed source to show my classes. It's a basic principle of humor. Please leave it in.

But I sympathize with the comment above. The problem is, "the rule of three"-- which Steve Martin just invoked on Saturday Night Live a month ago, as his justification for slapping a fellow actor three times, though the script apparently only said to hit her twice-- is oral tradition, like much of comedy theory. There's a lot of comedy theory, but it isn't written down, and has a hard time getting into Wikipedia. (Anybody who watched Crimes and Misdemeanors remembers Allan Alda's character's repeated "If it bends, it's funny. If it BREAKS, it ain't funny." ) Profhum (talk) 18:47, 2 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]

It's not only a principle of comedy and religious symbolism and argument, but a principle of exposition as well, especially in the movies. Any important expository information is usually covered three times to ensure that the audience grasps it. Watch for this in movies and you'll see it time and again. Kristin Thompson discusses it in her book Storytelling in the New Hollywood as does her husband, David Bordwell, in several of his books, including Poetics of Cinema. The rule of three is a real concept not to be dismissed.99.17.217.255 (talk) 01:11, 9 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]

An analogy may be juggling, where any attraction as an entertainment starts with three objectsor more. Also, to drop them tends to spoil the attraction.

With The Three Stooges, Nyuk-nyuk-nyuk! is not funny of itself, but it's placement and triple form make it work. SignedJohnsonL623 (talk) 06:19, 23 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I removed the myth about Japanese culture[edit]

See Japanese_etiquette#Gifts_and_gift-giving for an explanation of why I did it. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Carlj7 (talk • contribs) 10:30, 24 April 2007 (UTC).[reply]

Magi[edit]

"Three Magi visit the infant Jesus in Bethlehem." The Christian Bible mentions three gifts, but gives no account of the number of "wise men" that went to Bethlehem. However, it might be useful to note how this presumption came to be. o0drogue0o 07:41, 27 February 2011 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by O0drogue0o (talk • contribs)

Road Safety Example[edit]

Before crossing the road, 1. Look to the right 2. Look to the left 3. Look to the right again. And, variations on this. SignedJohnsonL623 (talk) 06:40, 23 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]

As a tool for inculcation/indoctrination or liberation of thought patterns[edit]

As a means to provide emphasis?? An example is the tagline for the movie, Almost Famous. It says- "Experience it, Enjoy it, Just don't fall for it." ,so instead of ending with something like "Embrace it" or such, they've emphasised the downside of fame and the whole celebrity worship thing. SignedJohnsonL623 (talk) 11:31, 30 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]

     The three R's- Respect, Responsibilities, Rights. And,in that order! SignedJohnsonL623 (talk) 11:36, 30 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Why just "(writing)"?[edit]

As the article itself makes clear, Rule of Three isn't just used in writing, it's used in other media as well like TV, movies, etc. Should this article be renamed "Rule of three (communication)"? SnappingTurtle (talk) 17:10, 31 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Location, location, location[edit]

Re: The answer "location, location, location" is not to this question "What is the best climate for success of a business?". It is an answer to this question "What are the 3 most important things about a piece of real estate?". — Preceding unsigned comment added by 184.33.202.114 (talk) 20:44, 9 June 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I have added a new section[edit]

I have added a new section on the Rule of three techniques within copywriting, marketing and advertising, including references, internal links and external links. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Scampicat (talk • contribs) 15:33, 6 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I have since removed this section as the editor, while he would allow the content, would not allow the external source to be referenced, as he believed this to be spam. Have removed this section, while I try to have this situation resolved.Scampicat (talk) 18:23, 6 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Ok, the editor's have been very helpful and explained why the reference link was initially removed ( i had placed as an external link rather than a citation and therefore it was mistaken for spam). Apologies for the confusion.

A proposal to add a section on copywriting, advertising and marketing[edit]

Right - let me do this properly this time! Would anyone object if I added the following section to this page?

(Note: you can view my reference links both internal and external by looking in the edit view - I don't want to place them directly on this page as I don't want them to be considered spam or publish with out approval.)

Here is the proposed text:

Copywriting, marketing and advertising

Rule of Three techniques govern effective communication due to the fact that they exploit human beings' predisposition to instinctive pattern recognition. As the smallest number required to make a pattern, techniques utilising a system of 'three' are naturally and quickly processed by subjects. All Rule of Three techniques, at their heart, utilise simple three-element patterns to communicate complex ideas effectively. As a result, Rule of Three techniques are common copywriting devices used within marketing and advertising due to their effectiveness in engaging an audience . In copywriting, the two most common uses of Rule of Three relate to marketing theory and slogan creation.^[1]

In marketing theory, American advertising and sales pioneer, E. St. Elmo Lewis laid-out his three chief copywriting principles, which he felt were crucial for effective advertising:

"The mission of an advertisement is to attract a reader, so that he will look at the advertisement and start to read it; then to interest him, so that he will continue to read it; then to convince him, so that when he has read it he will believe it. If an advertisement contains these three qualities of success, it is a successful advertisement." ^[2]

These three copywriting principles formed the backbone of the widely-used “Attention, Interest. Desire. Action” (AIDA) marketing model – a system of steps with which to engage an audience. The AIDA model has itself evolved into a Rule of Three technique with its four elements being distilled into the three simple steps of the CAB copywriting model:

CAB:

Cognition (Awareness or learning)
Affect (Feeling, interest or desire)
Behavior (Action). ^[3]

Rule of Three copywriting techniques are also prevalent within slogan creation. Due to its sheer simplicity, Rule of Three technique is an effective way to create memorable catchphrases. As a result, the technique has been used to create some of the most recognizable advertising slogans in history, for example:

“Just do it” – Nike
“I’m lovin’ it – McDonalds
"Vorsprung durch technic" – Audi

Scampicat (talk) 14:41, 7 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

feedback and comments[edit]

At very first glance, the final paragraph and the examples therein are completely WP:OR and cannot be added to the article. -- The Red Pen of Doom 14:55, 7 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

And looking more closely - NO. utilizing content from an advertising company called "Rule of Three" to support claims about how powerful "the rule of three" is in advertizing is an absolute non-starter. -- The Red Pen of Doom 18:01, 7 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Ok - I see your point. Although, I was really just interested in the content of the article - the techniques are interesting and I do think that the article itself is just an objective piece about rule of three technique. However, If you genuinely feel that it doesn't add anything to the topic I guess we can't use any of this section.Scampicat (talk) 22:12, 7 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

references[edit]

^ http://rule-of-three.co.uk/what-is-the-rule-of-three-copywriting/
^ "Catch-Line and Argument," The Book-Keeper, Vol. 15, February 1903, p. 124. Other writings by E. St. Elmo Lewis on advertising principles include "Side Talks about Advertising," The Western Druggist, Vol. 21, February 1899, p. 65-66; Financial Advertising, published by Levey Bros. in 1908; and, "The Duty and Privilege of Advertising a Bank," The Bankers' Magazine, Vol. 78, April 1909, pp. 710-11."The mission of an advertisement is to attract a reader, so that he will look at the advertisement and start to read it; then to interest him, so that he will continue to read it; then to convince him, so that when he has read it he will believe it. If an advertisement contains these three qualities of success, it is a successful advertisement."
^ J. A. Howard, Marketing Management, Homewood 1963; cf. M. B. Holbrook, "Howard, John A." in: P. E. Earl, S. Kemp (eds.), The Elgar companion to consumer research and economic psychology, Cheltenham 1999, p. 310-314

Etymology and history[edit]

A suggested priority of this particular page, and the focus of future edits, should be on the origins of the Rule of Three: where it was first thought to have been used; key figures and prominence; and miscellaneous details. AcidBat (talk) 20:53, 21 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]

External links modified (January 2018)[edit]

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both Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and the Three Musketeers are about four characters, not three[edit]

both Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and the Three Musketeers are about four characters, not three. 76.123.74.180 (talk) 21:05, 12 September 2022 (UTC)[reply]

What's your point? There are three bears. That's why three bears are mentioned in the title. The story of the three musketeers involves d'Artagnan meeting three musketeers. That's why the story is titled The Three Musketeers. Lots of literature that are examples of the rule of three have other characters. That doesn't mean they don't involve the rule of three. Sundayclose (talk) 19:07, 13 September 2022 (UTC)[reply]

"See also..."[edit]

"Equivalence relation & Partition of a set abstraction of concept" Not seeing how the concepts are at all closely related. Can anyone clarify the wording here? Otherwise, I'm strongly inclined to remove this. 109.255.211.6 (talk) 10:00, 20 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]

[1] ttp://rule-of-three.co.uk/what-is-the-rule-of-three-copywriting/

[2] "Catch-Line and Argument," The Book-Keeper, Vol. 15, February 1903, p. 124. Other writings by E. St. Elmo Lewis on advertising principles include "Side Talks about Advertising," The Western Druggist, Vol. 21, February 1899, p. 65-66; Financial Advertising, published by Levey Bros. in 1908; and, "The Duty and Privilege of Advertising a Bank," The Bankers' Magazine, Vol. 78, April 1909, pp. 710-11."The mission of an advertisement is to attract a reader, so that he will look at the advertisement and start to read it; then to interest him, so that he will continue to read it; then to convince him, so that when he has read it he will believe it. If an advertisement contains these three qualities of success, it is a successful advertisement."

[3] J. A. Howard, Marketing Management, Homewood 1963; cf. M. B. Holbrook, "Howard, John A." in: P. E. Earl, S. Kemp (eds.), The Elgar companion to consumer research and economic psychology, Cheltenham 1999, p. 310-314

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