What if HR and Legal wrote Nike’s ads?
They didn’t become Nike by asking permission. They kicked the door down with « Just Do It » and changed sports marketing forever.
But look what happens when brand messaging gets filtered through seven layers of approval. Bold ideas get watered down. Memorable phrases become forgettable. And the raw energy that made you stop scrolling? Yeah, that gets replaced with corporate jargon that makes you keep scrolling.
This is what happens when legal and HR write your brand message. Your brand loses its edge. When your voice gets neutered by committee thinking, you blend into the endless sea of bland.
Great ads don’t walk on eggshells. They kick the damn door in. They don’t ask for permission or forgiveness. They command attention because they speak human. They tap into real emotions instead of sanitizing themselves into oblivion.
I’m not gonna sit here and tell you that speaking with balls is gonna 10x your revenue overnight. But I’ve seen it happen. I’ve watched brands find their voice and explode when they had the guts to use it.
Today’s marketing landscape is overcrowded. Playing it safe is the riskiest strategy of all. Your customers can smell the difference between a brand with conviction and one that’s trying to please everyone while offending no one.
Is your brand speaking with balls, or is it reading from a risk assessment memo? Are you writing ads that make people feel something, or are you crafting messages designed primarily to survive legal review?
The best brands aren’t the ones with the biggest budgets. They’re the ones with the clearest voice and the courage to use it.
I post about brand strategy, creative direction, and how to make your marketing actually work. Follow me (Ryan Palmer / Palmer Creative Co.) for more insights on building brands that bite.
#Marketing #BrandVoice #CreativeStrategy #Copywriting #Messaging #Nike