SITUATION
I was asked to write a global brand tagline.
TASK
This line needed to celebrate the personality of Fire TV, and also serve as an umbrella for the entire product assortment. We have multiple product descriptors, but no brand North Star.
Before I even started writing, I had to translate this marketing statement into a benefit. Magically Simple felt right. Emotional. Aspirational. It fell out of the workshops. But entertainment experience felt vague.
So, I created this sentence diagram, clarifying key terms. Adding that context.
Magically is: futuristic, delightful, and always-on. Experience stands for: togetherness, relaxation, and fun.
Then I worked on this mission statement. It got us closer. More approachable with emotional language like “fun,” relax,” and ”family and friends.” But that still wasn’t enough.
So I wrote this brand story to make the strategy sing:
You’ll see all the keywords dropped in here like "magical, delight, and smile." OK. Now that the brand story was approved, it was time to work on the lines. The Vice President asked me to lean into the emotional. And not be too functional or tech. Instead, to be smart, simple, and conversational. Territories like Unwind, Escape, and Relief here check those boxes.
After several rounds, I narrowed to 5 lines. The first is “Fast-Forward to Unwind.”
After several rounds, I narrowed to 5 lines. The first is “Fast-Forward to Unwind.”
To show the customer journey, we mocked up digital advertising, print, and brick & mortar signage.
Then I created a a few pros and cons to help sell through the idea.
I also like the subtle connection between REWIND and UNWIND. One con is that the icons could read like a clickable button when online.
Next up is "Watch Happy."
Next up is "Watch Happy."
The pithy-ness and short character count work really well in situation.
A pro here is it hits on the emotional, which was the main ask. Quite on-brief all around. But, a con is that not all television is happy...drama, news, etc.
Next up:
“Good to be Home” nails that “hero of your living room” strategy we saw in the brand work. It’s about more than just passively watching TV.
Feels nice here. Breathes. Like a welcome mat.
Good is a humble word, which is a core tenet of our Amazon parent voice. The line is familiar but fresh, which is always a good thing with messaging. A con, though, is maybe it doesn't work hard enough. The So What? test. Can any brand say this?
Good is a humble word, which is a core tenet of our Amazon parent voice. The line is familiar but fresh, which is always a good thing with messaging. A con, though, is maybe it doesn't work hard enough. The So What? test. Can any brand say this?
Next:
Say It. Play it. This is a headline we had previously used to talk about voice control. I thought we’d explore it for the umbrella tag. See if it worked…
Love the parallelism here. The staccato of the syntax, and the tight typography.
A pro is that it's catchy and magically simple. One con is that Google had just started using a similar line.
Next up:
Next up:
This last one is one of my favorites. Speaks to voice control and the future. It's bold, with direct address.
However, it is a little long in layout. But that can help cut through the clutter of typical advertising.
Main pro is it works well locked-up with Alexa utterances. "Alexa, turn down the lights."
Watchout, though, is that it might not work well standalone. “Can my TV do what?”
Here’s the shortlist of top contenders. Hundreds more were left in the parking lot.
Lines like: Be kind. Unwind. | For the Love of Television | Made for We Time | Change the Way You TV
Watchout, though, is that it might not work well standalone. “Can my TV do what?”
Here’s the shortlist of top contenders. Hundreds more were left in the parking lot.
Lines like: Be kind. Unwind. | For the Love of Television | Made for We Time | Change the Way You TV
Here's where ended up:
The VP approved Change the Way You TV, which was shortlisted on the previous slide. Everyone loved the active voice. And "you" is always a good word in marketing. That direct address.
RESULT: Approved line ran for 2 years. Traffic to the category page increased by 11%.
