Simple words, made interesting
What is the key to writing strong brand propositions and impactful brand lines?
When I was at university I studied English. In my set were two young men who tended to dominate most of our seminar discussions – let’s call them Mark and Dave.
Mark had a huge intellect and an equally massive vocabulary. He appeared to know the technical term for every nuance of literary criticism and all the most obscure linguistic definers. I found him impressive, but rather intimidating.
Dave was every bit as bright and knowledgeable, but with a difference. He always spoke clearly, precisely and extremely articulately, but just using ordinary language that was readily understandable to everyone else present. As a consequence, I learnt far more from listening to Dave, including this important lesson;
If you want to engage with an audience, the best way is to use simple words in an interesting way.
I’ve spent many years since then trying to define what lies at the heart of various brands – what represents their ‘Essence’ – and writing propositions and brand lines that aim to communicate those thoughts to a consumer audience. The most successful of these always have that ‘simple words, made interesting’ approach at their core.
One of the best examples, which I had no part in the creation of (sadly) was emblazoned on a huge special build billboard in New York around 15 years ago. It was for Fage, who had just introduced Greek yogurt into the USA and did so with a simple, three word thought; ‘RIDICULOUSLY THICK YOGURT’.
Simple words, but used in an unexpected way. Whoever came up with ‘Ridiculously’ (rather than ‘Extra’ or ‘Very’ or even ‘Magnificently’) deserves an accolade. It’s a line that captures the absolute essence of what makes Greek yogurt different and better, but also does this with an attitude and bit of chutzpah that starts to build a distinct brand personality.
That’s the trick here – to uncover a word, or words, that convey what is often a fairly simple thought in a truly ownable way.
The folks at Nike could have talked about how their products help to ‘bring the best out of your body’s performance’ or how they ‘encourage you to participate in more exercise’. Of course, they didn’t. They came up with another set of three simple words – exceptionally simple words. ‘Just Do It’ is now ubiquitous and inextricably linked with that brand (it kind of is that brand). Again, it sets out what lies at the heart of Nike, but it also points to its personality; uncompromising, direct, and with just a hint of arrogance.
The prompt to write this piece actually came from a more current piece of brand communication. It’s the latest work from Andrex – a brand that has a long-standing positioning built upon its ‘softness’ by comparison with other toilet paper competitors.
Its most recent advertising moves away from cute labrador puppies – a device that may have emerged from a desire to suggest the benefits of a softer bum wipe rather than to confront that reality directly. In its place, we now have scenarios that build upon the truth that a lot of people find the lavatory a slightly difficult topic to acknowledge, with bold displays of people almost celebrating this natural, everyday act.
The end-line for the campaign is another example of how to make simple words sing; ‘Get Comfortable’ is a wonderfully succinct way to convey the ‘softness’ benefit, but to add further layers (see what I did there..?).
So, if you are faced with the challenge of creating a new brand line or proposition please avoid delving into the Thesaurus to find the most unusual and elaborate language in the attempt to set your brand apart. Think instead about how you can harness the power and familiarity of ordinary language, but in a new and interesting way
Be more Dave
Words by Chris Blythe