Get frisky with your ad copy? What??
Let me explain…
Virgin Air rival British Airways was having a little problem one day.
A company they sponsored couldn’t erect the giant ferris wheel they’d built.
When the story broke on national news, Virgin Air founder Sir Richard Branson had an idea…
He ordered an ad blimp out to the scene post haste.
On the side of the blimp was this news flash:
“BA Can’t Get It Up”
Needless to say, the news went viral.
The world a good laugh — and Virgin Air got credit for it.
Can you think of a more delicious scenario for a business owner?
Okay, so what can we learn from this?
Advertising legend Claude Hopkins sternly warned, “People don’t buy from clowns.” And I couldn’t agree more — entertainment in an of itself doesn’t inspire action. Though it can add a little lubricant to the process.
That said, here are three ways a sense of fun and adventure can bring life (and maybe even the big bucks) to your business:
Do like Sir Richard, and poke fun at the big fish in your pond.
The fact that British Airways was a bit on the proud and stuffy side made his joke that much funnier. In his book, Make ‘Em Laugh And Take Their Money, Dan Kennedy mentions poking fun at a certain well-known personal growth guru “with big teeth”. Find their flaws and make the most of them.
Be self-deprecating.
Poke fun at yourself in some way. We all have minor personal flaws we can turn into an asset by joking about them. With the rarity of hair on top of my head, I can usually get a laugh when the topic man-buns comes up with a comment like, “I don’t think I’d look so hot in a man-bun…”
Don’t go overboard, but don’t hesitate to get a little edgy.
One of my most opened email subject lines of 2018 read, “Should you pee on this ad today?”, referring to a magazine ad by Ikea. (Hey, it was their idea!)
So next time you’re staring at a blank screen and blinking cursor, lighten up — how could you have a little fun with your ad?
Just remember Sir Richard’s little blimp ad…
And see if you can get a little frisky with your ad copy. 🙂
Need ideas?
Don’t forget to thumb through past posts right here on StrategiCopy.com.
