George Orwell said that good prose should be transparent, like a windowpane. What I think he meant is that you should be thinking about the topic or the story, not about the writer’s clever tricks. But one person’s gimmick is another’s clever hook. Is it too clever – or just clever?
I’ve been reading a lot recently about the American adman Howard Luck Gossage, who died in 1964. His writing was very clever. Whimsical, playful, wilful even. Like this headline for a shirt brand called Eagle, “SEND FOR YOUR FREE EAGLE SHIRTKERCHIEF (SHIRTKIN?) (NAPCHIEF?)”. Was he having fun at the client’s expense or getting the client noticed? Take his advertising work for the Whiskey Distillers of Ireland. Long copy ads that stopped mid-sentence and then continued the sentence in a completely different ad at a later date. Silly or different?
(Images lovingly lifted from Hubspot)
On the other hand, this communication isn’t clever at all. But is it any good?
The question, I think, is one of brand personality. The Irish Whiskey Distillers ads have bags of personality. They polarise readers because you’re either in or you’re out. Personally, I love them but there will be (and presumably were) haters. Whereas the Always Pan/Our Place ad (not sure which one it is), is neither clever nor very good at communicating.
I’m not saying that only witty writing succeeds. But this ad that appeared on the London Underground is, to my eyes, busy, assertive, and assuming too much interest on the part of the reader. Maybe this approach is fine on their website. After all, that’s their space and if you visit, you’ve chosen to. But in a public arena this is just waffle. What is the toxins story? No explanation. If it’s the most popular pan ever, how come I’ve never heard of it? Has it just arrived in the UK? What the hell is 10-in-1 performance? Whoops, nearly missed my stop!
This recent ad in the US for McDonald’s isn’t (verbally) that witty. The headline is quite straightforward. But it works in service of all the other elements.
The writing could have been ‘cleverer’, e.g. Want to use our drive-thru without a car? On your bike. But that would have been what one of my old Creative Directors called, “Garlic with garlic sauce”. It doesn’t need a clever line because it already has beautiful art direction and a charming photo. In fact, a clever line would get in the way. All that’s missing is a clear explanation.
I’ve used advertising examples to make my point, but the same principle applies to any form of brand communication from a website to a brochure, a white paper to a TikTok post. Hell, even a blog (imagine?)
The question “Is it too clever?” is a good one. But not if it’s being used to stifle creativity. Creativity is a brand’s secret weapon to stand out and connect with people. It’s clever.
At the same time, sometimes the writing just needs to tell it relatively straight, if other elements in the mix simply need its support, as in the Maccy D’s ad.
I for one would welcome more cleverness and quirk. The world is too full of corporate seriousness and self-importance. And that’s not clever at all.