A curation of this week’s copy gems (and what you can learn from them)

 

By Carolyn McMurray, SOCIATE’S Junior Copywriter & Blogstar

 

In this week’s copy round-up, we’re taking a look at some of the best copywriting finds (sourced from just about everywhere). Fellow copywriters; use these snippets as inspiration, points of reference, and a cue to try something new. Refresh yourself. 

 

And founders, CEOs, managers, agencies, businesses; use these gems to see how your brand can innovate, how your marketing copy can be tweaked, and why being daring is not such a bad thing to do.

 

Bring on the brave, the musical, the comedic, and the unexpected…

 

The brave:

 

Woah. That’s intense. It hits hard and it’s bloody daring. For an agency that deals with the big shots, it’s taking a bit of risk. It’s being a little bit different. And guess what, it pays off.

 

Little learning: Okay, so swear words aren’t everybody’s cup of tea. I’m not saying you should slap cuss words onto your brand’s marketing or include naked people in baths on your website, but hear me out. Offended Marketing (name of the agency) makes a really big impact with their copy. It’s brave and it’s daring – exactly what their TOV is all about. They’ve massively niched and made it clear that they only work with brands that are up for doing things a little differently. Taking a (calculated) leap of faith. Being a little bit brave. And they’ve reflected all those things in their writing. The lesson? Really zone in on your niche, and make your writing absolutely, 100% reflective of your brand TOV. If you’re an agency that’s all about having a laugh or making a joke, don’t write boring. Write funny. This is what will help set you apart from the hundreds of other businesses in your niche. It’s what you’ll become known for, and help you develop a solid reputation in your industry.

 

The melodic:

 

“When a piece of pink rice paper hits the glow of a cigarette.”

 

That’s a line of copy for a bottle of wine (Vin de France). It’s melodic, it’s sweeping, it sounds sweet, and most of all it actually makes me excited to buy the bottle. And it’s a whole lot more interesting than a 2013 Chardonnay wine that just lists the tasting notes. 

 

Little learning: The lesson here? Go beyond the words and think about the sounds that those words create. A certain line or carefully chosen string of words can create a melody. They can create a sort of cadence, ebbing and flowing as they’re spoken. When you read Vin de France’s product description, it rolls off the tongue. It sounds pretty. And this sound, in turn, makes the bottle seem ‘prettier.’ It gives the illusion that this bottle is going to taste a lot better than the ordinary ‘fruity, citrusy, dry, sparkling’ wine. It’s also different. It’s unexpected. People don’t expect a bottle of wine to evoke a feeling with a few lines of copy. They expect the mood to be set once it’s actually in the glass, but Vin de France does the exact opposite. It sets the mood before you’ve even poured your first glass.

 

The comedic wise-crackers:

 

Mosh just turned a bottle of ordinary shampoo into a wise-cracking bottle of shampoo with personality. It’s not just shampoo, it’s a shampoo with attitude, and that’s all down to the cleverly crafted copy.

 

Little learning: The entire Mosh product collection is brimming with comedic bursts of copy. Just like this gem of a shampoo. But what can we learn from it? It’s a little lesson in the power of the ‘unexpected.’ The power of taking something that’s average and day-to-day and serving it up with a slice of pizzaz. It’s a lesson in the power of humour and really ‘talking’ to your audience. The next time you’ve got a piece of copy to write for a product or a new service, ditch the tried-and-tested. Try something a little different, infuse a bit of humour into the copy, and try to relate to your audience.

 

The powerful one-liner:

One word, still magnetic. That’s the power of thoughtful copywriting.

 

Little learning: First off, a big shout out to this Waitrose copywriter (or whoever ideated this campaign). It’s super simple. It’s one word. It’s minimalist (just like the design) but it somehow grabs your attention. Why? It’s impactful. It’s a tipple of clever wordplay and shows just how much you can do with one small phrase. Next time you’re crafting up a line of copy, take a moment to think about the small print. The copy that most people forget about. Instead of spending all your time perfecting the big print, look at ways you can amp up small pieces of copy and breathe life into one-liners. It definitely won’t go unnoticed.

 

Want brave/funny/sassy/smart/polished?

 

Sure, seeing copywriting in action is great for oiling up the creative gears but it doesn’t help if you’re under a mounting pile of pressure. Deadlines. Meetings. Client calls. Cut to the chase and get copy that’s true to your brand TOV and just what you want it to be with SOCIATE’s copywriting services. Hit up our wordsmiths at [email protected] for copy that’s good enough to land up on this list.