01 What it is
The brain constantly predicts what comes next. When a format or a category sets up an expectation and the ad breaks it, the gap creates surprise, and surprise increases attention.
An official apology that turns out to be a sale does it. So does a mugshot lineup with clogs in it, or swearing in a mouthwash ad. The reader understands the reference immediately, which is why the joke works.
The creative earns the attention. The offer still has to hold up.
02 How to spot it
A familiar scene or tone used for something it does not belong to: a crisis statement for a sale, a police lineup for shoes.