"Potato Passions" - nothing to do with unsavoury videos, simply savoury snacks
Here's one that'll make you queasy
I have a simple proposal. From now on, any copywriter caught using the word ‘passionate’ may – in fact, must – be openly mocked.
Thus spake David McGuire, writing for ProCopywriters many moons ago. And a brief Twitter search shows he’s not alone.
“Passion: 😷” - gipped Dave Harland
“‘Can I get you a cup of coffee passion?’ said no one ever” - said Vikki Ross
“I’m sick of earnest twats using words like passion” - ranted some idiot with 603 in his handle.
Copywriters hate passion. If we as an industry hated one thing in the world, it’d be the word passion. If we hated two, it’d be the word passion and not getting paid on time.
We hate it. More than clients calling us copyrighters, more than designers asking for some bumpf to fill space, more than those smug pricks in Lancaster with their 0.5p per word content mill, we fucking hate the word passion.
What about readers? Our audiences? The paying punters?
They could not give a shit.
This, is a packet of crisps. The image comes from the British Crisps website’s review of that exact packet of crisps. And because the people at British Crisps are nothing but thorough on the subject of British Crisps1, here’s what they say about Darling Spuds’ brand:
From the off, you can tell Darling Spuds love and cherish their potatoes. The brand name and the singular, beautifully golden potato at the centre of the packet tell you all you need to know.
And, as the packet attests, their crisps are not only "made with love" but the company are "passionate about potatoes" - two promises which bring a tear to my eye and remind me why I started British Crisps. So, Darling Spuds are clearly some very good eggs, but can their crisps live up to their romantic promises?
I was about to launch into my grande finale now, about how maybe lines like “made with love” and “passionate about potatoes” aren’t the crimes against copy we think they are. How maybe our hatred of that word shows we listen to each other more than paying punters. And that maybe, just maybe, we should listen to customers a little more and each other a little less.
But Laura just walked in, read that excerpt over my shoulder and came out with this:
“It’d be a nice line if they sold lamb chops and like you knew they were passionate about sheep and not like slapping them about when they’re in the shed where they live, but it’s a bit weird to be passionate about potatoes.”
So maybe I need to amend that. You should always listen to customers more than copywriters.
Except when - as David Ogilvy didn’t quite say - that customer is my wife.
Something mint - this crisp-related strapline that predates Pringles
Given the subject matter, I had to go through some old crisp ads2. Then I found this. It’s from 1992, four years before Pringles debuted “once you pop, you can’t stop,” and I love it.
It’s like they’ve made the exact same notes as the team working on the Pringles account and decided to call it a good day.
“What’s this you’ve written here, Bob? Right below the words crispy and salty. Can’t stop eating ‘em? That’s it. That’s gold. Let’s hit the bar, bring that other packet of Jays.”
Combined with the monochrome packet, it’s just a great piece of matter-of-fact writing that shows good straplines don’t need to be overly complicated.
Much like a good crisp.
Seriously. They fucking love British crisps. I am a sucker for fan sites aimed at mundane things, and their site is absolutely wonderful. I defy you to not read this review of a 39p packet of spicy flavour Transform-A-Snacks and not crack a smile.
Top 5 crisps, Andy. Go: