The following guest post is from a good friend and fellow Heretic Matej Novak, a copywriter with a deep passion for language and branding.
Have a look at these commercials.
I love this campaign. I love the writing, the casting and pretty much everything about the execution. I love how surprising it is and that it has an unexpected call to action. And I love that it communicates a single message from start to finish.
But as much as I love it, it also has a critical flaw: It doesn’t tell you anything about the company, what it does or why you should visit their website.
At some point you’ll decide what your company’s voice is and how you want to talk to your customers. That’s an important decision, too, because it will define your brand. You’ll be judged — both positively and negatively — based on that decision. And while you’ll be able to evolve it over time, you’ll have to live with it (not to mention up to it).
The problem comes when that becomes a substitute for tangible facts about your product or service. Are you fulfilling a customer need? Are you solving an old problem in a new way? Do you have a unique selling proposition (or USP in marketing talk)?
People love to engage with strong brands that make them feel something, but ultimately they want to know what’s in it for them. So tell them. Tell them clearly and repeat it (for those in the back). Do it in your own way, yes, but make sure you actually have something to communicate.
Identify what it is that only you can say, then figure out how only you can say it.
Otherwise you’re just firing gerbils out of a cannon for no reason.