I promise we’ll get to the comedic stylings of Poo-Pourri commercials, but first, we need to do a quick rundown on brand voice.
Just so we’re clear on what to listen for in the commercials.
Brand voice is what you say and how you say it.
It’s comprised of the words, sentence lengths, tones and stylistic choices (like punctuation) you make in your writing.
As copywriter Anna Sarayna says,
“If you’ve ever heard something said about a friend and thought, ‘but that doesn’t sound like X,’ then you my friend already understand what a brand voice is.”
Anna Sarayna
Your brand voice is the personality of your business.
It’s what customers see and hear when they think of your brand.
In this tutorial, Nicola Moors goes through the techniques you can use to break down your client’s brand voice.
You can also use the same tips to figure out your brand voice.
For a brand voice to be effective, it must be consistent and show up in all your communications.
Besides having great comedic timing, the one thing that has sky-rocketed Poo-Pourri is their unwavering commitment to the brand voice.
You can see it on their website copy and hear it in their commercials.
Let’s look at how they do it.
Stop now if you haven’t watched one of the dozens of Poo-Pourri commercials that went viral.
Watch their original video – then we’ll talk.
Who would’ve thought a brand could make that many poop puns in under 3-minutes?
This video marks the beginning of Poo-Pourri making bathrooms around the world a more refreshing place to be.
The product is great, of course, but their brand voice and the way it leads all their communications turned this into a multi-million dollar business.
Let’s look at some of the ways Poo-Pourri is making a splash with their brand voice.
And how you can apply these lessons to your own voice.
This is the most important lesson when writing any copy in any voice.
Your customers are humans and want to buy from a brand they can relate to.
If your copy is dry and robotic, readers won’t keep reading.
Which means they won’t buy.
Poo-Pourri does this by taking something usually classified as taboo and adding a comedic tone to it.
They’re bold, humorous and unapologetically honest.
Poo-Pourri is an all-natural product…
And they want their readers to feel it’s just as natural to have a conversation about what you do when you go #2.
Everyone has to go and everyone wants to remain dignified afterward.
Poo-Pourri commercials have uncomfortable conversations that tap into the humanistic side of what they’re selling.
In your copy:
Focus on the ways we’re all connected to be relatable in your brand voice.
Use situations your audience has gone through to illustrate how your product solves their problem.
Tell your story and be a brand that has real experiences.
Customers are more likely to trust you and become loyal to your brand if you can show that you’ve ‘been there too.’
Your One Reader is the persona you’ve determined is best suited for your product.
This persona is who you direct all your brand messages to.
Every Poo-Pourri commercial speaks to the same target audience: women who don’t like talking about what they all do (do).
They direct their messaging to this One Reader by reflecting their concerns back to them and then presenting a solution to solve the problem.
In their copy, there’s no wavering from speaking to their target audience.
Poo-Pourri feels that using comedy is the best way to approach a sensitive topic their audience has a hard time talking about.
Because they want to normalize the topic, they don’t beat around the bush in any of their commercials or website copy.
And they address situations their customers have been in to create an emotional connection.
First dates, family dinners, office parties – all scenarios that are not always the optimal place to be when nature calls.
Luckily, Poo-Pourri commercials address situations just like those in their series, “Control the Sh*tuation.”
By doing extensive voice of customer research, Poo-Pourri creates commercials that have their readers nodding in agreement because they’ve experienced that exact situation.
In your copy:
Figure out who your One Reader is, and always focus on them when you’re writing.
Think about your customer’s experiences and problems and how you can weave them into your copy.
Add jokes you know will be funny to your reader (based on your research).
Creating an emotional connection allows you to bridge the gap between customers who know you to customers who buy from you.
Poo-Pourri commercials always feature their spokesperson: a young, posh, English woman in a blue party dress.
She’s the epitome of elegance and grace.
Until she speaks, and you realize what a potty-mouth she has.
I’ve spared you from some of the more… vivid… descriptions she uses.
By using their spokesperson as a narrator of the commercials, Poo-Pourri can tell the brand’s story and illustrate how they solve their ideal customer’s problem.
As story-based copywriter Aluara put it,
“In story-based copywriting, the target customer is always the protagonist.
You’re simply playing a role in your customer’s story.”
Aluara Weaver
Poo-Pourri commercials tell the story of how their ideal customer navigates herself out of a crappy situation using their product.
As Founder Suzy Batiz describes the viral video that made Poo-Pourri famous:
“We disrupt with a ‘did they just go there?!’ shock factor, whether in the humorous dialogue or visuals.
And then we relate by telling stories of bathroom situations we’ve all been in.”
Little Black Book
Every message that Poo-Pourri releases is honest and gets readers to talk about things they might not want to talk about.
In your copy:
Figure out your messaging strategy and what you want your audience to know about your brand.
Stay consistent in your communication styles and words.
Develop a brand voice that suits your business and will attract your ideal customers.
This is the title of Poo-Pourri’s social responsibility page.
*Notice how even the titles of their website pages stay within their brand voice.
The company backs several social initiatives, and each one has a description stating why it’s important to the employees.
Poo-Pourri also stands by creating all-natural products that really work.
As evidenced in their company promise:
“Most odor eliminators are as ‘natural’ as pleather pants – but not Poo-Pourri. When we say natural, we actually mean it.”
Poo-Pourri
For Poo-Pourri Founder Suzy Batiz, it’s important to give customers something more natural than the aerosol sprays they’re using.
The unnatural scent is even addressed in the commercials, giving examples that we’ve all faced when using average air fresheners.
The commercial watches as the main character “fills the air with synthetic citrus” and coughs in a cloud after filling the bathroom with spray.
Poo-Pourri knew their commercials wouldn’t win everyone over.
But that’s ok.
By remaining true to what they believe in and delivering on their promise, Poo-Pourri now has thousands of loyal brand advocates.
In your copy:
Create a set of values for your brand.
And ensure all your messages reflect these values.
Market to customers who agree with what you believe in and don’t worry about not pleasing everyone.
Brand voice distinguishes you from other businesses selling similar products or services.
The message you put out to the world and how you say it gives potential customers a view into what it’d be like to work with you.
Your brand voice will attract your ideal audience. And it will repel people that aren’t in your ideal audience.
That’s how you want it.
For your brand to stand out, your voice needs to be consistent and say something in a different way.
Poo-Pourri makes a tricky subject more acceptable by adding humor.
For your brand voice, find something that engages your audience and say it in a way that’s unique to your brand.
Determining what your voice is and how it’s unique can sometimes seem out of reach – that’s why Jo had Justin Blackman come in and create a whole course dedicated to developing your brand voice.
(It’s already in Copy School, just waiting for you to gain instant access)
Building a brand voice can be quite the process, but it’s well worth your time.
Especially if it means attracting attract the right customers and increasing your conversions.
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