“Be Love” “Be Kind” “Be Better” “Be soulful” “Be the focus” “Be light” “Be the light” – it’s all out there, all kinds of “Be”s. Except maybe “Be a Bee”. The Be baseline for brands, it’s so easy to label and put on the shelf. Brand managers love it. Planners love it. Agency heads also love it in spite of the money they hate paying planners for it. The temptation to write “Be Something” is so massive, if it was a black hole in the middle of the Milky Way we would have milk powder on the other side.
Since when have advertising folks and brand tribals done anything because it’s the easy thing to do. So why do it.
It’s the easiest way to sound like your brand is important and has something life-changing to say about itself by proxy of said “Be”. It gives a feeling that you have put the brand into the customer’s life and the customer would have no problem accepting it.
It feels like a life truth therefore brand managers believe they will find their cut-through.
It is easier to do a “Be’ than do the hardwork and analysis and leap of faith that you need to actually come in with an insight that sticks.
Also writing a “Be” concept feels like the agency has earned its cheque in face of a tense deadline. Something the said writer of this said article has been guilty of once or twice in his career.
The thing is no customer is making a beeline to your Be Line in anyway. They have their own lives to lead; finding their way, finding themselves; that itself is such a difficult thing to do most times that a life guidance packaged in an easy to swallow pill is bound to just be lost, fall flat or remain tasteless. Life is busy. And no one is in the mood to listen life advice, least of all from some shampoo, jeans or finance brand. They are giving a brand two seconds of their attention and that’s it. If you believe that their lives have been empty and this was the moment they have all been waiting for, that a brand will come along and give them a mantra that will change everything for them, then you are delusional and need to be rescued from the mutual admiration society you are trapped in inside the agency hall.
Cease and desist. It’s just lazy to instruct the customers to do something. That’s not what you are there with the advertising staring down at them. You are there to tell them how you make their lives better. What have you brought for them Uncle Nikolaus? Anything good, spicy, tangy, clean, super? If you have, then you are welcome. Else take your dopey planning nonsense and get in line behind all the gurus peddling their versions of spiritual paths and ways to joy, happiness, achievement, success or good old peace of mind.
Ok so my editor wants to know how do you turn ‘Be’ lines around into something the brand does. Here is a shot at it.
“Be Love” – “It’s all Love”
“Be Kind” – “Aah Kind”
“Be Better” – “Best is not far”
“Be soulful” – “Hear your soul”
“Be the focus” – “Get seen”
“Be light” – “Feel no weight”
“Be the light” – “You are light”
Be. Don’t be. Just don’t bring the be into the brand. Ok time for Be er
by Achu