When an Innocent drink tells you to ‘stop looking at my bottom’, you know it’s not your average carton of juice. Innocent knits hats for the elderly and started a chain of good, the language reinforces its values whilst bestowing a cheeky personality that elevates it above your average soft drink.
A successful brand takes a mix of relevance and differentiation, a creative use of copy can help brands to stand out in often crowded sectors.
A bottle of Method tells me ‘Powerful non-toxic cleaning is not a myth. We’re still working on the unicorns.’ “[Method] build emotional points of difference into every product to create an engaging consumer experience,” said Eric Ryan and Adam Lowry, co-founders of the revolutionary cleaning product.
When Patagonia told customers Don’t buy this jacket they were reinforcing their values by encouraging people to consider the effect of consumerism on the environment and purchase only what they needed.
If any of the above brands walked into a bar we know who they’d be. Creative use of language can make a brand interesting and memorable.
Read on for examples…
What does ‘being more dog’ have to do with choosing a new phone contract? What about the minutes and the data?
O2 wanted to make an important shift from telco company to trusted digital products and services provider. Their insight - people had replaced their natural curiosity and playfulness for new technology with scepticism and ‘meh’. So they asked:
“Do you grab life by the scruff? Or hiss and spit at anything new?”
By unlocking enthusiasm, O2 customers would be more willing to give their products a try and who’s more enthusiastic than a dog? O2 uses language to capture this emotional proposition:
“The world is amazing. There are so many things to explore, experience and play with. So why wait, be more dog.”
Agency: VCCP
The world of medicines can be a confusing one. Help Remedies saw an opportunity to use language and design to differentiate itself. A color-coded packaging system and copy that reads ‘Help! I have a headache’ or ‘Help, I have allergies’ ensures each product line reflects its mission to make health issues simple.
Agency: Little Fury NYC
When it comes to the fashion industry ‘normal’ is not a word often heard. Today, fashion is about standing out and being different. However to be normal is to be yourself. So when GAP asked their customers to ‘Dress Normal’ they found a new way of celebrating the individuality and authenticity of personal style.
Agency: Wieden+Kennedy New York
Rebelling against the traditional benevolent language of Christmas, Harvey Nichols asked customers to not feel guilty about buying themselves a present to just say, “Sorry I spent it on myself.” To support this message they created a range of budget gifts that were sold in the store, including a sink plug and toothpicks.
Agency: adam&eveDDB, London
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