Thoughts on great business writing. And other stuff.

9 October 2005

It's not like chocolate needs help. You could wrap a bar in newspaper and people would still eat their weight in it if given the opportunity. I know I would.

But at a time when the most memorable chocolate marketing involves two giant, talking M and Ms (who sometimes die, er, get eaten, during the ad), it's refreshing to come across a piece of writing so compelling you don't mind spending $8 for an 8 oz bar. Vive le Vosges Haute Chocolate!

I bought my first Vosges bar at a Dean & Deluca in Napa Valley recently, and not since Charlie saw the corner of a shiny ticket has opening a bar been so filled with anticipation. All because of the fun copywriting on the cardboard wrapper: "Firstly, there should be a glossy shine to the chocolate bar, this shows a good temper; a tight bond between the cocoa butter and the cocoa mass." 

And that's just the first of four steps explaining "How to eat an exotic candy bar." The copy truly adds to the experience.  It helps that the Naga Bar's mix of sweet Indian curry powder, coconut flakes, and milk chocolate more than lived up to the promise.

Click the pic to view the full text of the copy, then visit the Vosges site and order a box of truffles. (Pity the site isn't as inspired as the packaging.)

28 August 2005

"Our TV sucks." That's the money line from the recent series of Dish Network television spots. I laughed out loud when I first saw one. The idea is simple and memorable. It's also a little crude -- conservative bloggers have complained about use of the word.

The concept: A TV in another room keeps "sucking" things toward it -- silverwear, pets -- as a nonplussed character shrugs and utters the phrase. It's a little less obvious than the usual shots at the cable companies. Watch them here. I'm guessing you'll love it or hate it.

14 September 2005

When in doubt, there's always Carmina Burana. Lately, I've seen a lot of ads and parody movie trailers poking fun at this oft-used music. It's about time. Here's the best example yet, by an Australian beer company. I'm told it aired just one time, then became a huge viral hit on the Web. Thanks to posts like this...  Watch "It's a big ad."

9 September 2005

Take a lesson from the magazine business.  Look at your average brochure. Often, it's columns of uninterrupted narrative wrapped around generic, metaphorical imagery. Then look at your average business magazine. It spices up every page with compelling quotes, facts, and sidebars that let you enter the piece from various entry points.  Which would you rather read?

Look at all the different ways feature stories in Fast Company, Sports Illustrated, and Macworld pull you in. If the headline doesn't grab you, maybe the subhead does. Or the caption. Or the marginalia.

Works, doesn't it?