Jump off the shelf: how can I achieve stand out in store – and online?

Today’s retail landscape is a jungle. There are your elephant brands – the large, slow-moving mainstays of the high street. And, increasingly, those pesky monkeys – the challenger upstarts who are leaping from trees and throwing attention-grabbing missiles at everyone in sight.?

The brands that thrive aren't just the ones making the most noise, they’re the ones who cut through the chaos or cookie-cutter blandness. And a large part of this is developing a distinctive and ownable tone of voice…?

Here are five pointers to ensure your packaging or website copy hits all the right notes, so (whether you’re a Nellie or a King Louie) you’re never left hanging around:

1. Match your values to your voice

To speak with authenticity, clarity and confidence, be true to yourself and your core values – the building blocks of a brand’s personality.?

So if, for example, your brand values are visionary, trustworthy and nostalgic, your voice should reflect this – for example, you might sound inspiring, human and thoughtful. These can (and should) flex to suit different audiences and marketing communications.?

2. Get into their heads and shoes?

Understand your target audience by putting yourself in their world, not yours. Taking a single-minded, empathetic approach towards who you’re selling to makes it easier to focus on them and avoid becoming too inward looking.?

What are their likes, loves and bugbears? Do they prefer natural ingredients? Comfort over practicality? Saving the planet over saving a few pounds? Basing copy on real-life insights hits home more effectively – so research what makes your customers tick – or turns them off.

3. What’s your story?

If there’s a provenance story to tell about your product, shout about it. Describe where the ingredients come from, how they’re grown, and what inspired you to create your brand in the first place. Highlighting eco-conscious or ethical values – something that’s working wonders for Tony’s Chocolonely and his mission against exploitation in the cocoa industry – could also help strengthen your credibility in the marketplace.?

4. Show off your meta side

Meta copywriting essentially calls attention to itself as writing. Ever since Innocent broke through with their disruptive campaigns – labelling the ingredients section as ‘the boring bit’ – other brands like Oatly and THIS have become masters in this self-referential, quirky way of subverting and playing with language.?

Of course, this ironic approach isn’t right for every brand, so deploy with care. There’s a fine line between witty irreverence and sounding smug or self-satisfied.??

5. Vanilla is great – if it’s served with crumble?

In the food and drink world we’ve seen more ‘delicious’ and ‘rich’ products than we’ve had hot dinners. With so many words out there, challenge yourself to find fresh angles and surprising juxtapositions of words. For example, a sofa isn’t simply ‘comfy’, it’s ‘Sunday snoozing ready’ or ‘a rainy day hero’.??

Be seen, and heard

In summary, to stand out on the shelf and online:

• Match your tone of voice to your brand values.?
• Understand your target audience’s mindset – their likes and bugbears.?
• Is there a provenance or personal, ‘inspiration’ story to tell?
• Be quirky or go Meta – if that’s right for your brand.?
• Avoid vanilla words – use more original adjectives in product descriptions.

Need help with naming and writing your packaging or online copy? We can help...