Brand language: How to avoid the “Franken-statement” trap
“What’s missing?”
It’s a question many of our clients feel compelled to ask when they share a first draft of our work with their colleagues.
You can see where they’re coming from. When you’re testing out a new purpose statement, set of values or customer proposition, it’s scary to think you might have left something out.
But the “what’s missing?” question is one we strongly advise our clients to avoid when assessing a first draft.
Why? Because if you ask people what’s missing, they’ll feel compelled to find something.
And it’s how you end up with the three values everyone can recite (plus the two no one can remember).
Or with Franken-statements like:
“Our purpose is to help people live longer, healthier, happier lives, and making a better world.”
As Jane Austen might have said, it’s a truth universally acknowledged that a copywriter in possession of a first draft must be in need of more words.
The “what’s missing?” question stems from a belief that the fundamentals of your brand language need to (or even can) speak to everyone and every situation.
But when it comes to brand language, powerful and all-encompassing are mutually exclusive. By asking “what’s missing?” you’re setting yourself off on a unicorn hunt.
For example, what if Nike had given in to people’s undoubted misgivings that Just do it didn’t capture the motivations of every target customer.
We can imagine the objections…
“It’s offensive to the Olympians we sponsor — they don’t need to be told to train.”
“It’s patronising to the mum dashing out on the school run — she doesn’t have a choice.”
“It’s too earnestly sporty for the fashion crowd — an important segment of our market, no?”
We’d struggle to sum up the brand’s benefits for all three of these customer types, so we turned to ChatGPT for help. Here’s what it suggested:
Own the moment, make it happen, and let nothing stand in your way
Which “keeps it inclusive and motivating, while resonating with each group’s mindset”.
Apparently.
A better approach
Don’t view your first draft as — almost by definition — lacking in some way. Instead, adopt the stance of a minimalist.
Approach it with the mindset of Coco Chanel, who famously said: “Before leaving the house look in the mirror and take one thing off”.
And instead of asking “what’s missing?” consider questions like:
Does this language capture the main thing we want people to say about our brand?
Does it include anything that doesn’t need to be there? What could we take off?
Is this language a good starting point for other comms? Can we expand on the idea in our verbal brand book and tone of voice guide?
Does this brand language feel right?
Related articles
Should you use ChatGPT to write about your business?
How to stop good mission statements from going bad
Want help with avoiding the Franken-statement trap? Get in touch!
