“Hello, I’m a blog post. And I’m talking to you, dear reader. Can you hear me?”
Blog posts are an example of one-to-many marketing. The content sits on my website, hoping to be found, possibly by hundreds of people.
Newsletters are an example of one-to-one marketing. I might have hundreds of people on my mailing list, but the content is sent from me to each separate inbox.
In each case, one person is the writer (me), and (hopefully) many people will read what I write. You are just one of those people.
That’s why good copy uses the word ‘you’ in the singular, not the plural. Whether one-to-many or one-to-one, people read one at a time.
You’re having a conversation with them.
Here’s one technique that makes it overt…
Anthropomorphism
One of the first pieces of copy I ever wrote was for the staff magazine of the Australian Mutual Provident Society.
I wanted a way of making life assurance seem interesting, so I wrote a three-part article about the life of a policy from the perspective of the policy document. I added illustrations where the page had a face, and little arms and legs. I think the magazines are still in the loft somewhere.
It’s a useful copywriting technique.
For example, Aldi’s Christmas ads use Kevin the Carrot as their mascot. He goes on adventurous journeys to save the spirit of Christmas.
Compare the Market has the meerkat Aleksandr Orlov with his catchy catchphrase ‘Simples’.
Innocent Drink bottles famously have messages, such as ‘Stop looking at my bottom’ on the underside.
MailChimp has a character called Freddie the monkey who gives you a friendly message before you hit send.
Duolingo has a stroppy owl, who nags you if you don’t use the app enough.
When Slack is loading, it says things like ‘Warming up hamsters’ or ‘Knitting space-time fabric’.
When Chrome crashes, it says ‘Aw, snap, something went wrong’.
Can you think of any more?
Why anthropomorphism works
Anthropomorphism works because it:
- humanises products and interactions
- taps into emotion
- sparks delight
- simplifies communication
- helps you stand out and get noticed
- enhances brand personality
- sticks in your mind
What this means to you
If your brand wants an engaging and friendly tone of voice, anthropomorphism may be an approach that works for you.
It works particularly well for British audiences that appreciate understatement, wit and cheekiness. It’s not generally suitable for serious finance, legal or medical categories. It can lighten them up, but it might come across as childish.
Next time you write a piece of copy, ask yourself: “If this item could speak, what would it say?”
And if you’d like help with that, please give me a call.
Related reading
I’ve written about anthropomorphism before. Here are some related articles you might like:
- Packaging. Wackaging. A little rant.
- Mmm. Chocolate.
- “Oi.” “Hiya.” “Good morning.” Why and how to vary your tone of voice
- War on words
- Taking things personally