5 examples of unconventional ad copy for your inspiration
David Ogilvy — the “Original Mad Man,” and “The Father of Advertising,” — once said about writing ad copy — “Don’t bunt. Aim out of the ballpark. Aim for the company of immortals.” The brand you build is a direct outcome of what you communicate to your users. If you take shortcuts or present a less compelling argument on why they should love you, then you’ve failed. As a brand manager, you simply cannot afford a bad copy. In case you are stuck in a rut and finding it difficult to communicate your brand’s value proposition — here are 5 Snippts of inspiration for you from brands that got it perfect with their copy
One: KISS — Keep it Simple, Stupid
Copy need not be only about Facebook ads or billboard ads. Do not forget that if you sell consumer goods your packaging is critical real estate for you to show what your brand is about. But it is also a copywriters’ nightmare — since there is so little space. But this is the exact opportunity for the great ones to stand out from the good ones
We love what RXBar does here with their packaging copy:
RxBar is a protein bar brand that focuses on simple, high-quality ingredients. I did not have to tell you that though. You could have inferred it from their amazing packaging copy! What makes this even bolder & counter-intuitive is that most of the competitor brands displayed their infinite ingredients at the back of the pack in ant-sized fonts. The simplicity of the copywriting help this small brand be noticed and ultimately sell to Kelloggs for a whopping $600 million!
Two: Be honest
This goes without saying — no one likes a brand that promises the moon and sells them a stone. But do you know of one company that has built an entire business on a simple premise of not promising their customers castles in the air?
Ugly Drinks’ product is a sugar-free, natural flavoured sparkling water. Ugly believes that its audience is tired of ‘perfection’ and projects a more honest view of what their customers can expect from their product. It does not promise that your perfect shaving skills can get you a date with that crush of yours*cough Gillette*. Nor does not promise a perfect body by drinking sugary drinks 24*7 *cough-Pepsi* *cough Coca-Cola*. It does not make claims it can’t live up to: “No unobtainable lifestyles. No ridiculous promises. We’re not a dream, we’re a drink,” it states in one of its ads. That refreshing honesty in your ad copy is all that is needed at times.
Three: Arouse Curiosity
Sometimes your copy shouldn’t tell everything about your brand — and at least a wee bit should be left to the imagination.
The burger chain Wendys’ does an amazing job with the above vintage ad copy from 1984. In the above short and succinct ad copy the simple praise “Where’s the beef?” Though confusing at first, it became apparent that the copy was used to highlight the lack of beef in competitors’ burgers. It quickly caught on and became one of the most famous taglines in the history of branding. Though, we must also give credit to the cute grandmas’ for some of the virality!
What is even more remarkable was Wendy’s adaptability. Before the above ad copy, Wendy was struggling to drive store traffic and differentiate itself from other competitors with taglines like “You’re Wendy’s Kind of People.” Like, what?
Four: Listen to your customers
I meant that literally. Sometimes what your customers say maybe the best ad copy. Especially if you notice what Snowbird Ski Resorts did with the below copy:
Known as the 1-star campaign, Snowbird carefully sifted through 1-star reviews of their resort and decided to post them in their copy. Why would anyone do this though? The brilliance of the campaign though was that Snowboard knew exactly who they were talking to. The copy was not directed to other mountain newbies like Greg from Los Angeles. It was targeted at the Snowboard’s repeat users and for advanced skiers who enjoy the mountain sports culture. Those who would pride themselves on navigating the steep chute or the tree wells of the mountain range. Gutsy and brilliant at the same time.
Five: Take Risks
You do not have to be a young and upcoming brand to innovate with your copy. Sometimes even the traditional biggies do take risks with their copy that pay off exponentially
Take the above Print Ad copy from KFC. Bold, for sure. And also a bit too upfront, maybe? This ad was an apology when KFC ran out of chicken in the UK! And obviously, customers were not pleased — which resulted in a PR nightmare for the company. One option would have surely been to play it safe and send a long apology note. But KFC decided to take the risque route — and did pay off. The iconic KFC bucket that reads, “FCK” — ala, “FCK, we messed up,” was both a humble and humorous apology that did resonate with the customers. The fact that FCK was a play on its 3 famous initials adds more heft to the copy
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