Make more profitable mistakes
The Angostura Bitters label is too god damn big for the bottle.
But it turns out it was born out of a (happy) mistake.
Angostura was an invention of a German physician called Johann Siegert.
In 1820, Siegert moved to Angostura, Venezuela.
He did it to help Simón Bolívar in his war to liberate Venezuela from Spanish rule.
During this period Siegert treated Bolivar’s soldiers and sailors.
But many of these men suffered from seasickness, stomach ailments and malaria.
So Siegert combined gentian with Venezuelan herbs and spices.
The result was a formula for a bitter herb liquor that relieved seasickness and stomach ailments. And helped Bolivar's troops fight malaria.
In 1870 Siegert died.
So when his three sons Carlos, Alfredo and Luis, took over the business they reframed Angostura Bitters as an cocktail additive, not as a medicinal product.
One day, to promote the business the Siegert brothers decide to enter a competition.
So one of the brothers designs a new bottle. And the other one designs a new label.
But the brothers forgot to discuss one very important thing: bottle and label sizes and dimensions.
So by the time bottles were done and labels were printed it was too late to fix the mistake.
This meant the Siegert brothers had to be a lil creative.
So they fit the small bottle with the oversized label. Then submit Angostura to the competition.
The Siegert brothers *obviously* didn't win the competition.
But *surprise, surprise* one of the judges told them something they'd never forget.
The judge said, "No one in this business would be stupid enough to make such a mistake. So keep it as it is. This is what we call signature labelling."
The Siegert brothers followed his advice.
And it turns out the judge was spot on the money.
Because the Angostura Bitters label hasn't changed. And today you can find Angostura on nearly every bar in the World.
Illogical and brave always beat mediocre but safe ideas.
》”Dangerous” Ideas
1/ If your brand, packaging, website, ads sound and look too corporate-y or just like everyone else, do the complete opposite.
The human brain is wired to notice things that stand out. Psychologists call this the Von Restorff Effect.
Upside Foods gets it.
Love how this recent full-page Upside Foods ad in the New York Times was written 100% in chicken.
2/ Use the Von Restorff effect to your advantage. Remember that when you write copy, voice is your personality on paper.
So inject a bit more personality into your copy. It’s the right way to differentiate your brand from your competitors.
3/ Don’t tell people your idea is original, bold or different. Show it. Prove it. Cherish it.
4 / There’s no secret magic formula for coming up with creative ideas, but this 3-Step process from Crispin Porter + Bogusky is a good place to start:
Random yet important thought:
PS. This is the last Creative Samba newsletter I’m sending you this year so just wanted to say Thanks for reading. And I also wish you a Merry Xmas 🎅 and a Happy New Year. 🍾
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. Make me an offer + 🎧 Chill Music Club + ⚽ Dream Football Jobs
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