Four Savvy Strategies for Crafting Unforgettable Content (Part 2)

Have you hit a slow spot in your print or online marketing? Need a boost to garner fresh vision? In this three-part series, we’ll examine hands-on tools to enliven imagination. Today, we’ll focus on part two of this question: How do you write content that commands attention or sticks with people for months to come? Last week, we discussed “matching the media and the message.” Today we’ll consider two more simple strategies.

2. Saturate the Senses

One way to arouse interest is appealing to the senses. Strive to write content that paints a strong scene in your reader’s mind. Make your message easy to pull from memory by tying it to a taste, sight, smell, sound, story, or a triggering word association.

KIT KAT chocolate bars nailed this in 2007, celebrating the simple delights of candy and coffee. Known for its “break me off a piece of the KIT KAT bar” slogan, the company paired an image of coffee, a KIT KAT, and these words: “A break’s best friend.” Ad copy extolled the joy of life’s small rewards, so blending coffee and KIT KATs was like “getting two breaks in one.”

KIT KAT radio ads were perfectly timed during the listener’s morning commute or lunch breaks, and the word association of coffee breaks and chocolate made mouths water. After twelve months, KIT KAT experienced a double-digit sales growth and received national recognition for years to come.

McDonald's awakened appetites through a short message paired with romantic, artful visuals. During summer months when nightlife blossoms, the company wanted to remind customers that late night is a great time for a snack, and McDonald’s was now open past midnight. Ads featured blurred, out-of-focus points of light, glowing together to depict a Big Mac, sundae, and crispy fries. Like a dreamy Eiffel Tower scene, the images reinforced two simple words: “Open Late.”

As you look to saturate their senses with your own hard-hitting content, here are some tips to consider:

• Use words that show, don’t tell. Be as vivid and descriptive as possible, allowing them to vicariously experience your product or its benefits, rather than just “hearing” about these advantages.


• Paint a picture. Use adjectives that include savory details of sights, smells, and sounds to draw them in.


• Give specific, concrete advice. Move from vague concepts to helpful takeaways.


• Wrap any message you can in an upbeat, moving, or suspenseful story.

3. Coin a Contagious Catchphrase

“Just do it.”

“Breakfast of champions.”

“Melts in your mouth, not in your hands.”

“Finger-lickin' good.”

Like that jingle that rattles around your brain for months, a sticky slogan is a powerful way to influence customers. Why do great slogans matter? Because taglines are memorable, they differentiate the brand, and they stay relevant over a long period of time. Slogans offer a concise phrase or idea people will immediately associate with your product.

As you shape your own contagious catchphrase, consider questions like this:

• What is your product about?


• Can you encapsulate your message into a memorable phrase or title?


• What unique perspective or technique does your brand offer?


• What need or concern can you address? What real-life problem can your product solve?


• Is there a “Eureka” factor you can highlight? What hard-hitting verbs, colorful adjectives, or real-life situations best capture these “Aha!” insights?

Once you’ve settled on a memorable phrase, feature it prominently, consistently, and with fantastic visuals to bring it to life!

Looking for more motivation to keep your copy fresh? Join us again soon as we discuss tips and tricks for producing content that counts.