What it means to be grand

Just recently, I was asked to improve a piece of copy, to make it more “grand”, which I guess means throw in a few superlatives.

 It’s not the first time I’ve heard the word used in this context, it’s become a sort of go-to adjective when clients want the work to make them feel more excited. If they’re excited, surely the public out there is going to get excited too right?

 (Well, think about the average ad you saw this morning and ask yourself how excited you felt.)

 This got me thinking about the word grand, because what does it really mean, and what does it mean in terms of writing and designing advertising messages?

 According to Dictionary.com, grand is defined as thus:

 1.    Impressive in size, appearance or general effect.

2.    Stately, majestic or dignified

3.    Highly ambitious or idealistic

4.    Magnificent or splendid

 Which sort of sums up most outdoor ads we see these days.  

 Property ads, at least in my corner of the world, are usually very grand. Often golden and palatial and peppered with superlatives promising heavenly lifestyles. Fireworks are often going off somewhere. Nature is usually all around the blissful looking perfect families depicted in the settings. Even the names are grand.

 Product ads also are usually designed with grandness. Whether through starbursts, or magical design elements woven throughout by designers who’ve got their hands on the latest technical trickery.

 Ads featuring celebrities, especially those promoting luxury items, are grand by nature. Retouched to perfection to create a superficial world of aspiration.

 But how about grand in everyday life? Look at the Grand Canyon, I mean that’s really grand, it certainly lives up to its name. But could it be even more grand? What if someone at the United States Tourist Board decided it could do with some jazzing up? Before you know it we’d see flashing neon signs and miles and miles of decorative lighting transforming it into some sort of horizontal Christmas tree.

 Think about the world of entertainment. Liberace, the late celebrity pianist was grand. Grander than the grand pianos he performed on. He was a living, breathing piano playing chandelier of grandness.

 Blockbuster movies are often grand because I’m sure the Hollywood moguls forking out for them believe that this is what sells (well, they know, research has informed them). OTT. Stirred up with great dollops of grand special effects and dynamic action. Grand is what sells.

 I see grand cars every day. It’s not enough for some wealthy individuals to just own the biggest boldest Rolls or Bentley, they’ve got to give it some serious bling. I’ve seen two tone models, or get this – all gold. Custom designed to stand out even more and scream “Look at me, look at me, king of the world’. Chuck in a personalised number plate that says ‘Mr Big’ and you’ve got grand on wheels.

 The equivalent exists in fashion. What about all those gold and silver designer trainers that come complete with the bells and whistles. They’re definitely not designed for the running track. They’re designed to say ‘Look at me, I’ve got more money.” (Unfortunately in most cases, than sense.)

 And that raises the question of another word - ‘taste’. Because it seems to me, wherever we see it applied, grand does not always equate to taste.

 Which brings me back to my copywriting challenge. I’ve got a sneaky feeling that taste is going to have to go out the window.