Build campaigns for impact, not clickbait
Because a website without good copy is like Chuck Norris without a beard. Powerless. Unnatural. A tragedy. Let's work together. I have ONE slot available for a small copywriting project starting after November 22nd. But don’t email me - unless you take copywriting seriously.
㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡
Copywriting’s job is to "cross the line” and get your brand into good trouble.
Because good trouble means your brand stands out. And standing out creates impact. Which means your message is so memorable people notice and talk about it.
The problem is, most brands mistake exposure (and clickbait) for impact.
Consider, for example this recent tweet from Kevin Curry the Co-founder of Kuppy (A DTC brand that sells a “silicone water bottle drying rack”).
Kevin asked folks on Twitter to share their thoughts about Kuppy's latest ad.
The headline says "Moms love Kuppy".
The problem is most Moms probably have no clue what the heck is Kuppy.
Which was probably why someone replied:
But Kevin replied "That's the point. Create curiosity = clicks."
One day later, Kevin tweets this:
I wonder why Kuppy isn’t getting more organic traffic and orders… I wonder why...
Now let me tell you another story.
Ad agency Lowe Howard-Spink were hired to create an ad for Heineken in 1985.
So they come up with a simple ad concept.
A posh girl is trying to learn "street cred. So she goes to the School of Street Credibility to learn how to say “The rain in Spain falls mainly in the plane”.
Then we see a man trying to explain her how to pronounce the words properly.
But she struggles.
The man gets frustrated, so he calls his assistant for refreshments.
His assistant brings some Heineken cans.
Then the girl takes a sip of Heineken and suddenly loses her posh accent. And starts talking like a blue collar worker.
The assistant also takes a sip of Heineken and suddenly has a bizarre posh accent.
Then a male voiceover says, 'Heineken refreshes the parts wot other beers cannot reach'.
This was a twist on the classic ‘My Fair Lady’ scene in which Eliza Doolittle tries again and again to say: “The rain in Spain falls mainly in the plane”... which by the way is a famous George Bernard Shaw lyric.
But 48 hours before the shoot, the estate of George Bernard Shaw calls Lowe Howard-Spink and says: "You can't use those lyrics."
Lowe Howard-Spink was screwed.
But then Creative Director Alfredo Marcantonio says: "Look, I used to win poetry prizes at school by taking famous poems and just changing the words, changing the meaning of them."
So Alfredo comes up with a similar alternative: “The water in Majorca don’t taste like what it oughta”.
Heineken's sales increased by 15% in the UK that year. And "Water in Majorca" ended becoming one of the most famous Heineken ads of all time.
When building a brand you have two choices. Two paths.
You either make your copy get you into good trouble, or you can make it forgettable.
The outcomes are different, but both will cost you the same.
㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡
》”Dangerous” Ideas
1/ The weirder the idea, the stronger its impact.
2/ 47 Percent of Internet Traffic Now Comes From Bots.
Which is another good reason why creating campaigns for clicks rather than impact isn’t a good idea.
3/ Good copywriters don't write copy out of thin air. They write copy based on research and experience writing copy that's easier to read than to ignore.
Because as copywriting legend Eugene Schwartz once said:
"Copy is not written. If anyone tells you ‘you write copy’, sneer at them. Copy is not written. Copy is assembled. You do not write copy, you assemble it. You are working with a series of building blocks, you are putting the building blocks together, and then you are putting them in certain structures, you are building a little city of desire for your person to come and live in."
Your pal,
🚀 Founder & Chief Copywriter: Teardwn ↬ “Hire me to give voltage to your website copy”
💌 Newsletter: Creative Samba
🏂 Side projects: 💭 Snackable Copy Tips + 👀 Great Landing Page Copy + ✍️ I’m selling copyipsum.com. Want to buy it? + 🎧 Chill Music Club + ⚽ Dream Football Jobs + 📖 “Think More Like a Copywriter”.
You're receiving this email because you signed up to the free version of Creative Samba. For the full experience, become a paying member.
What’s the difference between the paid version and the free version?
Paid members get the weekly edition of Creative Samba every Friday.
Everyone else gets only one email a month (*cof cof… occasionally I might send two emails a month, every other Tuesday*).