don’t be a notecard. be a f*cking night terror.
Like most people, my first encounter with advertising was uninvited and unpleasant. It was before Facebook or smartphones and was in the prime era of print and TV commercials, circa 2004. Yet, even without its reach into the back pocket of every person, like it is these days, I consider my first encounter to have happened in a glorified hallway of a ranch-style single-family home, which was widely known as: my childhood bedroom.
Here’s the scene: I was in my bed fast asleep. Then the ceiling caved in, crashing as if a fifty-foot tree had broken through. But it wasn’t a tree that broke through the roof. It was the Energizer Bunny. Pink and fuzzy and giant and loud, it clanged its bass drum with the cadence of an ancient ritual. Then, it grabbed me, and span me around as if its feet were screwed into the ground as it spiraled like an office chair with a fresh coat of WD40, spinning faster, faster, and faster as I cried, and cried, and cried. I even dreamt that I’d lost my voice, so no one could come and save me.
Eventually, I’d wake up unscathed and unspun. I’d comfort myself with the fact that the Energizer Bunny was not actually real. But even then, I struggled to sit with that truth. He was real. He was on the TV. By 2004, he was officially sealed in the top ten brand icons of the 20th century. Ad Age® cited him as the “ultimate symbol of longevity, perseverance, and determination.” And, might I add, terror.
Twenty years has passed and the bunny no longer haunts me in the witching hours. But as an advertiser now, there are lessons I’ve learned from those sleepless nights. In particular, two things stand out to me:
1) To this day, I couldn’t tell you a single thing about the battery. I don’t know how long they last, what they’re made of, or if there’s anything really different about Energizer compared to other brands. But, whenever I think of a battery, I think of Energizer (for better or for worse).
2) In this unique instance, as a consumer now, I still choose Duracell if I absolutely must choose my brand loyalty. But I would not know that Energizer even MADE batteries without that $#%&@&# bunny. I didn’t even have an allowance to make my own purchases when the campaign launched, but its impact has lasted now over twenty years. Talk about ROI.
Now, as a copywriter who creates advertising campaigns, I look back on this bunny and the impact it had on my life. My job is to communicate the why for all kinds of brands, products, and organizations. Often, my clients have a laundry list of features they want to highlight. Square-footage of an attraction. Certifications within a supplement. Heated seats in the luxury RV. And there’s a time and place for those value props, absolutely. But I’m telling you now, I don’t think there’s any kid having a nightmare about assisted steering.
These features remind me of the time I first learned to study. Me and my friends quizzed each other on flash cards, made up songs and acronyms and even created physical cues to help remember these answers for our high school biology test. We studied for hours. Today? I couldn’t answer a basic biology question to save my life. The information stayed in my head as long as it was needed, then quickly left as soon as the next shiny thing came around (or, in this case, an Algebra midterm).
Another way I put it is, the features of your products go through your consumers head the same way your wife’s plans for next Monday evening goes through yours. It’s even on the calendar. You won’t remember. And that’s OK. But just know that your consumers feel the same way when you tell them “Hey! Just so you know, my product is #1 in Korea.”
When I approach messaging and copywriting, of course I consider the value props. But I also consider the millions of possibilities in which we could talk about your brand. Because the truth is, the best advertising isn’t about the product at all. Instead, it creates an association that breaks through logic and enters the core of what makes us human — even so that a four year-old without a wallet can understand. Humor, surprise, or even an obnoxious mascot are just some of the ways this becomes real.
For the best return on your agency investment, let your creative team go wild. Sit through the uncomfortable ideas. Don’t return to the shell of product features that read like textbooks. For the best impact on brand awareness, don’t be a notecard. Be a fucking night terror. I promise you, it will work.
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Pinterest-board-daily-affirmation TL;DR: If it scares you, you’re on the right track.
