We live in a world of disruptors. And they’re in every industry – from mattresses to razors to car dealers. But look at what makes them so outrageously successful. It’s more than their disruptive business models and technologies; it’s the disruptive way they talk about what they do. Companies like Casper, Harry’s, and Carvana excel at this. And here’s how they do it.
How Visible disrupted me
I recently had a stop-and-rethink experience when I stumbled upon Visible, a new brand geared towards a younger, more price-conscious phone user. Visible made phone service seem cool and easy – which is a something I had never thought of before. They drew me in with a bold defining statement, “A plan so simple, you’ll worry we forgot something (we didn’t),” and quippy social media posts that tap into common pain points (leaving a phone in a car, cryptic bills, etc.).
Does Visible also mention low prices? No contracts? Phone compatibility? Absolutely. But they put a creative spin on these phrases. For example, turning “No monthly contract” into “No awkward breakup”. This is a fresh, instantly-understandable phrase that stands out in an industry rife with corporate speak – so I was surprised to discover who owns Visible. Turns out it’s Verizon, which goes to show that even giant, established enterprises are looking for new ways to do disruptive things.
Proof that witty phrases can grow your bottom line
At this point you may be thinking, “Sure, this is clever, but does it really affect profitability?” McKinsey says, yes. Using data from Cannes Lions award winners, they developed the Award Creativity Score (ACS) to track the relationship between creativity and overall business success. They discovered that the higher a company’s ACS score, the more profitable those companies are. In fact, they report that 70% of high-scoring companies have an above-average total return to shareholders (TRS). So those witty phrases can actually grow your bottom line.
And it’s not just for the big B2C brands
Creative messaging isn’t exclusively reserved for big-name consumer brands or shiny new startups freshly hatched from an incubator. When you’re working in complex B2B industries with complex challenges, you have even more opportunity to stand out with a creative message.
New company message leads to biggest deal ever
Recently, we were working on the messaging for a disruptive B2B company in the corporate wellness space. We had only gotten as far as developing a creative tagline and a short elevator pitch when they decided to use this initial part of their not-yet-completed message at a tradeshow. To their surprise and ours, they landed the largest deal in the history of their company as a result. It showed us once again how powerful a more creative message can be – even if it’s just a disruptive tagline and elevator pitch.
Leave a Reply