Robot Fodder Vol 25
How words have become a brand’s most valuable player
Linkedin keyboard warriors often bash the branding business for prioritising pictures over words. But here at Robot Food we know that while design attracts, strong messaging connects – so the only way to build a genuine connection with consumers is to get them both working together as one.
For this month’s newsletter, our Senior Copywriter Lizzie explores the power of words, and how brands are waking up to them as their most valuable player.
Insight
More means more
Long form is back baby! With endless doom scrolling causing the average attention span to dwindle by the day, brands that have more to say are the ones standing out. Take the ‘Broken Britain’ billboard that popped up in Liverpool this month. This no-holds-barred stream of consciousness captures the public sentiment perfectly with a tone and visual treatment that’s sure to stop passersby in their tracks (and stay with them long after they’ve gone). Sure, it makes the reader work harder than a pithy one-liner, but when we invest the time, we’re more likely to remember the message.
Chronically online
For over 30 years, we’ve described something divisive as ‘a bit Marmite’. In 2024 we made ‘Brat Summer’ our whole personality. And now we’re being told repeatedly that ‘nothing beats a Jet2 holiday’ (despite the many accompanying videos that suggest otherwise). The constant repetition and reinforcement of these brand phrases has catapulted them into our cultural lexicon. And it’s not looking likely that they’ll be leaving us any time soon. Today, this branded language has a new superpower – social media. Platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels are introducing these ideas to new audiences and driving recall through viral memes and sounds. They’ve evolved – signifying a specific period in time, strengthening their meaning, or taking on new meanings altogether.
Bare all or lose fans
As consumers increasingly favour brands that reflect their shared cultural values and experiences, baring all has never been more sought after. Something billion-dollar brand Taylor Swift knows all too well. Famed for her way with words, the recent release of her highly-anticipated 12th album ‘The Life Of A Showgirl’ has divided fans. Some have hailed it as a ‘well-earned victory lap’, while others have criticised ‘lazy’, ‘out of touch’ lyricism that’s a far cry from the poetic prose she’s built her brand on.
And she’s not the only pop diva making headlines with their latest work this month. Lily Allen’s seemingly autobiographical ‘West End Girl’ has got millennials in a chokehold. Through frank lyrics that brutally (and brilliantly) narrate the breakdown of her marriage, the noughties star has catapulted herself back into public conversation and is now more relevant than ever.
What’s going on?
Long story short
MarketWatch is inspiring and empowering Gen Z investors to learn how to put their money to work with the brand’s first ad campaign ‘Don’t Short Yourself’. With provocative lines such as ‘Become your own useless landlord’, the messaging reframes this generation’s pain points into positives.
U do U
Streaming service U have tapped into real viewing habits with their latest copy-led campaign ‘We’ve got U’. In a series spanning cinema, TV, digital, social, and OOH, the ads speak to their brand promise of ‘lose yourself in what you love’ with snappy one-liners that represent TV lovers everywhere.
Why do it?
And of course, an honourable mention to the move we’ve all seen by now. And if you haven’t, Nike’s new twist on its iconic tagline ‘Why do it?’ aims to reintroduce the brand idea to a new generation of consumers by ‘reframing greatness as a choice, not an outcome’. What better proof of a powerful asset than changing ⅓ of the words and it remaining as recognisable as ever?
“Words and visuals are intrinsically linked. If brands were people, then design is their flashy attention grabbing outfit, but words are the soul — and without them brands are empty vessels. You can grab all the attention you want with pretty visuals, but if you have nothing to say you’ll soon be forgotten.”
Ben
Creative Director
