I spent £187.44 during a cost of living crisis just because of good copy
"Does copywriting work?" Course it does. Even when it's Hampson's.
“Does copywriting actually work? Surely people just buy things they want or need regardless of the words on the site/packaging/advert?”
So far this year, I’ve spent £187.44 on stuff I had no intention of buying, just because the copy selling that stuff is so bloody good.
£38.44 on a dbrand Pixel 6A grip case because I smirked at the line “Much like the mighty giraffe, the Grip Case subsists on a diet made up almost entirely of your smartphone” - and everything else on their site
£44 on Dr. Squatch soap and deodorant because I saw an advert that started with the line “the soap you shower with is shit.”
£35 on a SevenYays box for Laura, because I saw the instruction “Pop, Flip Rip, Yay!” while looking through work we’d done on that brand and fell for Hampson’s line all over again.
£24 on Surreal Cereal because their about us page is some of the best upbeat, friendly copy I’ve seen on a typically dull page in years. Go look at it. Now. There’s a made up quote attributed to “SOMEONE VERY IMPORTANT.” Class.
£8.00 on a commemerative fanzine ‘celebrating’ Leeds’ shite 2022/23 season based solely on the disarmingly realistic line “Our 164 page 2023 Summer Special issue aims to do everything the football team didn’t last season, i.e. be really good.”
And another £8.00 on one for me dad.
£30 on W’zis treats for reasons I explained way back in February when they were the “Something Mint” in an early newsletter. Come on. Postman flavour. Brilliant.
I wouldn’t have bought any of that, had it not been for the copy. And as a professional, I can identify all the psychological tricks the great copywriters (and Ben Hampson for SevenYays) used to sell me those products.
It doesn’t matter. Forewarned doesn’t mean forearmed. Great copy always cuts through.
Something mint - dbrand, everything about dbrand’s copy
Before I bought that expensive phone case and Sea Breeze decal from dbrand, I spent hours on their site. Literally. I’ve read every single word.
It’s amazing. Look at that careers page. It commits to the bit. To the message that dbrand’s better than anything else you’ll find, you idiot. Hell of a cocky message. Especially for a Canadian company.
The customer service email committed to the bit too, combative yet informal, amusing without being straight up comedy.
And then the packaging. Much like SevenYays’ shipping boxes (again, written by me and Ben Hampson), even the parcel you recieve builds the brand with some amazing copy.
Look at the daft small print on this jiffy bag.
If you’re responsible for the dbrand brand, let me know. I want to buy you a beer while you tell me all about it.
For the record, the dbrand case is brilliant quality, Laura adored her SevenYays, as has everyone else we’ve ever bought them for, and Leia wolfed down her W’zises. The Surreal cereal is absolutely spot on too. The Frosted flavour especially.
On the other hand, Dr Squatch soap is woefully overpriced and the deodorant disintegrated. Goes to show, good copy can sell even shit and expensive products.