Ode to Joy: Buoyant Brand Language
Joy, the noun, is defined in the OED as a vivid emotion of pleasure arising from a sense of well-being or satisfaction; the feeling or state of being highly pleased or delighted …
How often does brand copy add to your wellbeing or make you feel delighted? Not reliably? And certainly not if it asks the insolent question Is your neck ageing faster than your face?
Here’s a hot take on the current prime movers of joyful copy. The wordy equivalent of balloons, sunshine and confetti. In a Santa hat.
11 real examples of brands harnessing buyer joy in their copy.
As a side note, CS Lewis (best known for Narnia) wrote a book about his religious awakening called Surprised by Joy. My dad read it hoping that it included frisky revelations about a woman of the same name. Spoiler alert — no sauce.
The psy-copy® bit
I don’t want you to tune me out this early in the post, but here goes — what do you know about Spontaneous Trait Transference?
Catchy name, isn’t it?
It refers to a psychological phenomenon where a person describing someone else’s strengths or weaknesses unintentionally becomes associated with those same traits in the mind of the listener.
Simply put, it goes like this. When you talk about others, the traits you describe can become linked with your own identity in listeners’ minds. If you praise or criticise someone else, others may subconsciously attribute the other person’s traits to you as well.
That’s the theory for personal interactions.
What about interactions between buyers and brands? Muddier waters, but the theory also aligns well with associations we make about brand behaviour. Why else would marketers obsess over tone of voice or personality, if not to shift buyer perceptions?
Joy also equates to surprise and delight (a well-researched marketing strategy for customer attention and retention). Joyful copy commands attention and encourages positive associations. Even copy that uses metaphors of warmth can help (I wrote about warmth and brand language here in the section on The Halo Effect and Brand Naming).
11 examples of copy packed with buyer joy
All ‘on brand’ in terms of personality and tone. All full of buyer joy. Some of which could transfer to the brand itself.
1 British Airway’s modified tick boxes
A post shared by @uncommon_ldn
2 For the bake-eating designers, from Greggs
A post shared by @greggs_official
3 Self-affirming Portmanteau-loving Barbie
A post shared by @barbie
4 Klarna shows it works for financial services too
A post shared by @klarna
5 Joyful POV from Cadbury (click through to watch the surprise)
A post shared by @cadburyuk
6 For all the Lego Grandpa curators
A post shared by @lego
7 A emotional Venn Diagram by Taco Bell
A post shared by @tacobell
8 Irreverent nod to the classics via Waterstones buyer
A post shared by @waterstones
9 The Dead Happy (life insurance) response to complaints about their disrespectful messaging
10 Charmin’s mock billboard for its loo roll users
A post shared by @charmin
11 Playful Jane Austen reference from Spark Notes
A post shared by @sparknotes_
Confession. My focus as a copywriter is not always on adding joy to every project. Maybe it should be. Let’s call that an early 2024 resolution.
Joyful inspiration for marketers
Brands and Humour by Paddy Gilmore.
It’ll Be Fun, They Said by Jess Pan.
(I need to read more joyous Substacks — recommendations welcome please)
Joyful by Ingrid Fetell Lee.
The Fun Habit: How the Pursuit of Joy and Wonder Can Change Your Life by Mike Rucker.
PS I’ve written a post about joyful copy without mentioning innocent. Can I get some kind of prize?
If you’ve just arrived at Ink Tank, hello! I’m Sue, messaging strategist and copywriter. My current twin interests are -
- Copywriting psychology (AKA psy-copy® — I’ve trademarked it, so you bet I’m going to chuck it about) and
- Marketing to midlife women.
I often write about how they interact. You can consult my free Knowledge Vault on marketing to midlife women here.
Originally published at https://inktank.substack.com.
