How messaging and tone helped one brand stand out (with stealable tips)
My friend spotted this incredible ad for on-demand childcare platform Bubble a little while ago.
There are a million reasons I love it, but for today, let’s look at why it stands out and how you could steal a bit of that magic.
1/ It bypasses the obvious
Firstly, the ad is memorable because it hasn’t run with the obvious benefits. Easy wins like how trustworthy their sitters are or how flexible their system is are relegated to much smaller bits of copy.
Instead, Bubble has hit on something real, something relatable: parents wanting to get back to work and feel like themselves again. But, importantly, the message doesn’t discount the fact that life’s changed a bit.
2/ The tone feels fresh
Second, (you guessed it) it’s all about that standout tone of voice. Messaging aimed at parents can stray into cutesy, patronising or overly familiar to the point of negging: “Yeah, the bags under your eyes stretch into next century and you’ve got your jumper on inside out, but hey, good luck in that pitch!”
Instead, Bubble has gone for warmth, quirky humour and positivity. That “Sure” does so much heavy lifting here. They acknowledge the change in your life circumstances, but they do so with the ridiculous line about having a dog for an ear.
3/ It plays fair
I love that the ad is free from the weight of parental guilt or shame. There’s no prodding at the sensitive spots in their target audience. No: “You need our childcare so little Johnny doesn’t end up failing school”. It’s a refreshingly ethical blame-free zone.
4/ The right amount of child
And one final thing: a lesser ad would either put the baby centre stage or omit the baby from the story entirely: “Get back to your pre-baby badass boss state, you legend!” type vibe. I love the child’s presence in this message, though they’re never mentioned explicitly. It’s 10 kinds of smart.
Be more Bubble
So, how can you bring a bit of Bubble magic to your messaging?
The first thing to do is find your message. It needs to sit at the intersection of original – something no one else in your category is saying – and relatable – something everyone in your target audience knows to be true.
There’s no shortcut here, you need to get into the mindset of your customer. Yeah, I know, we say this a lot. But go a few steps further than you have before. Because it’s in the details (like the children’s drawings pinned to the fridge door) that you’ll find that originality.
Make sure the tone of your message strikes the right note with your brand’s mission. In this instance, the positivity chimes perfectly with Bubble’s mission: “to help parents be all they need to be”.
Make like Bubble and avoid marketing that moves people to action from a place of lack, guilt or shame. (More about ethical marketing guidelines in my ethical marketing blog post and from The Ethical Move.)
Want more? Read how NOT to do familiarity and humour courtesy of Tampax.
Want to chat about your brand’s messaging? Get in touch.