2 mins

Real Marketing

Brand

Let's start with this image.

Same title. Same painting. Same subreddit. One gets 300 votes. The other gets 70,000.

Passive voice

People love REAL stuff. But it's rare.

Lifeless marketing is everywhere and we copy it without thinking.

So I thought I'd share some examples of REAL stuff.

1) Taleb's social proof

Publishers say bestsellers need endorsements from fancy media.

Nassim Taleb disagreed. For his latest book he replaced praise from Economist et al. with words from real readers.

Readers connect with readers in a way The Economist can't.

Passive voice

2) Patagonia's images

In the 1980s all outdoor fashion catalogs looked the same.

Paid models. Fake hikes.

Patagonia’s founder, Yvon Chouinard, was sick of it. So he placed a note in their catalog asking customers to send in real photos.

Suddenly Patagonia stood out. They still only use real customers today.

A real surfer showing a little skin is a lot sexier than a half-dressed, anonymous model — Yvon Chouinard

Passive voice

3) Rihanna's copy

Most product launches feel like a copy and paste job.

Look what happens when Rihanna drops the clichés and talks like a real person.

Passive voice

4) People's Vote Ads

The People's Vote Campaign spent more than £800k in the lead up to the 2019 UK election. Fancy cameras, expensive lighting, etc...

Their best performing ad? Staff talking to an iPhone on their way to work.

5) Chanel's drawings

Real means human.

For Mother's Day this year Chanel asked employees' kids to draw products.

Passive voice

6) Beachbody's ads

Contrast these two ads from Beachbody's CEO.

The first is your classic clean-cut ad. The second feels like a fitness vlog. Dropping sweat. Off-the-cuff.

Much more authentic.

To wrap up

I'll leave you with my real marketing manifesto:

Real people. Real words. Real customers. Anything else goes.

I spent yesterday applying it to my email popup.

Passive voice

— Thanks for reading, Harry

Share on
Logo
cegfilterplus copy 6
cegfilterplus copy 5
Group 3 Copy 2 1
Group 3 Copy 3
ACQUISITION ACQUISITION
ContentSEOSalesSocialAds
CONVERSION CONVERSION
CopywritingLanding Page
NEWSLETTER NEWSLETTER
Mixtapes
#1 Marketing Newsletter”
Read by 130k
Hey, I'm Harry. Every Monday I share:
3 short examples
2 copywriting tips
1 favourite tweet
Marketers voted it the “#1 marketing newsletter”. 130k people enjoy it.
Try it
Dave Gerhadt
“My favourite newsletter on the web”
Dave Gerhadt
“The newsletter is so f***ing great!”
Dave Gerhadt
“Better than my marketing degree
Dave Gerhadt
“🦄🦄🦄 — Nuff said
Dave Gerhadt
“The best thing is it works
Dave Gerhadt
“How is this still free?
Dave Gerhadt
“A genius that actually gives a sh*t
Anne-Laure Le-Cnuff
“I have no regrets
Dave Gerhadt
Best newsletter I'm subbed to”
Dave Gerhadt
“You ALWAYS find something useful”
Dave Gerhadt
“No fluff marketing. Works right now
Dave Gerhadt
“Shit you actually want in your inbox”
Dave Gerhadt
“Sadly, there's only one Harry Dry”
Anne-Laure Le-Cnuff
“Most wisdom per newsletter of all time
Dave Gerhadt
“One of the best marketers I know”
Dave Gerhadt
One of the best things on the web”
Dave Gerhadt
“I can feel my brain getting smarter
Anne-Laure Le-Cnuff
“The Sir Alex Ferguson of marketing”
Dave Gerhadt
“I haven't read a bad one yet”
Dave Gerhadt
I wanna be Harry when I grow up”
Dave Gerhadt
Gems everywhere
Dave Gerhadt
Dangerous in the wrong hands”
Anne-Laure Le-Cnuff
“If you don’t read Marketing Examples you aren’t really a marketer
Dave Gerhadt
“I literally can't wait for new issues”
Dave Gerhadt
“Multiple notifications so I never miss it
Dave Gerhadt
“The only newsletter I share with every person that joins my team”