Copy We Wish We’d Written: Henkel

You know how Dan and Anna are always going on and on about writing copy that’s conversational and doesn’t sound like it was written by a robot (or someone really boring)?

I saw this ad in a magazine and loved it so much that I sent a pic to Anna. (Dan doesn’t share our enthusiasm for shoes, sadly.) Anna emailed back, “I wish I’d written that,” and this blog post was born.

So, what’s so great about this ad? Well, pretty much everything:

  1. It’s visually memorable.
    I spotted the ad in Better Homes and Gardens, which has page after page of pretty things to catch your eye, but this image really jumped out. You have to be a truly visual thinker to see the common silhouette in a stiletto and the space shuttle.
  2. The copy is smart, funny and effective.
    Henkel could have used all kinds of distracting, scientific words to describe their product (they do work with rocket scientists, after all). This, however, is much more compelling. The voice is casual and direct, and the message is not only funny but relevant.
  3. The copy and the image work together.
    Sometimes clients come to us with designs already queued up. They’re often lovely, but it’s harder to make copy work when you have to tack it on after the fact. Here, the copy and the image go hand-in-hand.

So kudos to whoever wrote this ad and to Henkel for hiring him or her. (I visited your website, though, Henkel. It could use a little Hired Pens polish. We’d love to help you out.)

What about you? Have you come across any recent ads that you thought really worked?

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