# Feature-Benefit Cascade

## Core Logic

Open with brand or visual spectacle → cascade rapid sequential feature reveals, each paired with its emotional/business benefit → escalate desire and momentum → close with CTA. There is no agitation phase. The video does not validate a pain; it builds _desire through accumulation_. Each feature scene resolves into a benefit beat, then immediately morphs into the next feature — the rhythm itself is the persuasion.

Cascade is the dominant _inner rhythm_ of the launch-video category — once the product is on stage, Cascade is how you keep escalating. Canonical samples: 4 NFT/crypto launches (Elemental Soul, Ultra Power, NFT Marketplace, Artinals), 2 SaaS explainers (Vibe.co, Skye), plus hybrids (Madison's PAS body, AgentGPT's proof phase).

## Emotional Arc Pattern

```
Curiosity ──▶ Recognition ──▶ Desire ──▶ Status / Urgency ──▶ Action
  (hook)       (reveal)        (cascade)    (climax tier)        (CTA)
```

Notice this is a **steady positive climb** — no V-curve, no negative valley. Vibe.co verbalizes it as: "From curiosity about TV advertising complexity to excitement over streamlined control and accessibility." Elemental Soul: "Curiosity shifts to sensory excitement as each elemental card is revealed, building into premium desire for the exclusive collective tier and ending with urgent call to purchase."

The cascade _itself_ generates emotional momentum. Each scene's beat is one step up the ladder: curiosity → enthusiasm → confidence → desire → FOMO → action.

## Typical Section Sequence

| Order | Type              | Role                                                                            | Approx % |
| ----- | ----------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------- |
| 1     | hook              | Brand or visual spectacle — establish presence, not pain                        | 5-10%    |
| 2     | product_intro     | Name + define category in one line                                              | 5-10%    |
| 3     | feature_showcase  | First capability beat                                                           | 10-15%   |
| 4     | benefit_highlight | Translate that feature into business/lifestyle value                            | 5-10%    |
| 5     | feature_showcase  | Next capability                                                                 | 10-15%   |
| 6     | benefit_highlight | Pair-benefit                                                                    | 5-10%    |
| 7-N   | (alternate)       | Continue cascade — typically 3-6 feature/benefit pairs                          | 25-40%   |
| N+1   | benefit_highlight | Climax tier — "the exclusive Collective Soul", "Over 600 channels", "Vision AI" | 5-10%    |
| N+2   | cta               | Drop date / signup / direct action                                              | 10-15%   |

The cascade ratio of feature_showcase to benefit_highlight is roughly 1:1 across the samples. Each feature scene gets immediate emotional payment. Don't stack 4 features before naming a benefit — the rhythm is what carries the momentum.

**Reveal timing** — Feature-Benefit Cascade is the **earliest-reveal** archetype; product is named or visible from scene 1 (0–4% across samples). There is no delayed-reveal version of Cascade — if you withhold the product, you're in BAB or PAS.

## When to Use

- Product is feature-rich and visually compelling
- Audience is already curious or actively shopping (mid/lower funnel)
- Desire-driven categories: NFTs, collectibles, luxury, lifestyle, premium SaaS
- You have 5+ features each meaningful enough to anchor a scene
- The brand can carry the cold open (no pain validation needed)
- Marketplace / catalog launches where abundance _is_ the message

## When NOT to Use

- Audience is unaware of the problem the product solves (→ use PAS to validate pain first)
- Product needs deep behavioral change or workflow adoption (→ use Before-After-Bridge)
- You have one signature feature, not many (Cascade needs the rhythm of 4+ feature/benefit pairs)
- The category needs paradigm-selling (→ use Future Pacing)

## Hook strategies that work for Cascade

**Visual spectacle / world-building** and **Category announcement** are the archetype-native moves — they establish desire and presence without pain.

Don't open Cascade with pain validation or statistics — those signal "this is a fix" and undercut the desire-escalation arc.

## Persuasion techniques that recur

**Rule of three**, **Familiarity heuristic**, **Authority by association**, **Exclusivity & scarcity** (crypto-native: rarest tier + drop date), **Reward motivation / completion incentives**, **Status seeking / social belonging**, **Hyperbolic time discount** ("under five minutes"), **Visual proof of mechanics**, **Stratified tier reveal** (escalate stakes with each cascade step).

## Common compound

Cascade is most often an **inner rhythm** inside other archetypes (PAS, BAB, Future Pacing). When Cascade is the outer archetype, the hook is brand/spectacle. When it is an inner rhythm, write as `"<outer> with Feature-Benefit Cascade"` (see guide.md).

## Variants (Golden Samples)

Two distinct Cascade implementations:

<vibe-co path="vibe-co.md">
**Vibe.co — SaaS Brand-First Cascade** (~40s, B2B TV Advertising Platform)
Opens with brand assembly ("Vibe.co. All-in-one TV Ad Platform."), uses Rule of Three to structure the platform's three pillars ("Target. Deliver. Measure."), then cascades five feature/benefit pairs anchored by Authority (CNN/ESPN/Fox channels) and Hyperbolic time discount ("under five minutes"). Outro loops back to the opening line for brand recall.
Key technique: Brand-first hook, Rule of Three structural beat, Familiarity heuristic (mimic social-ad setups).
</vibe-co>

<elemental-soul path="elemental-soul.md">
**Elemental Soul — Stratified-Tier NFT Cascade** (~30s, Ultra.io NFT Collection Drop)
Opens with single-word visual spectacle ("Fire"), cascades four elemental cards (Fire / Water / Earth / Air) with color-bleed transitions matching each element's palette, unifies them as ecosystem, then reveals the climax premium tier ("the exclusive Collective Soul") before drop-date FOMO close.
Key technique: Stratified tier escalation, single-word scripts, drop-date temporal urgency, marketplace as exclusive destination.
</elemental-soul>
