So, You Want To Sound ‘Bold’? Strategies For Standing Out In A Noisy Market
Many brands hesitate about stepping outside the confines of the corporate domain. But the reality is that being bold gives you a valuable edge. You’re familiar with the expression “he who dares, wins”, right? Well, it’s a phrase that also rings true in marketing.
By diving into this blog, you’ve taken the first step towards injecting boldness into your brand’s voice – an admirable decision with the potential to set you miles apart from the similar-sounding competition. Ready to leave them in the dust? Let’s go…
When does being ‘bold’ work?
In some cases, bold can just mean downright cheeky, and brands selling more mischievous products tend to get away with this more than most.
Take Irish bookmaker Paddy Power, for example. The majority of their audience are sports fans, so they focus their marketing efforts on talking about football players, clubs, and games. So strong is their identity that they only mention their odds and offers in passing – they know that people primarily come to them for jokes and wisecracks.
Annual spending on defence:
USA £820bn
Cuba £700m
Man City £200m
Bosnia £180m
Congo £135m— Paddy Power (@paddypower) July 24, 2017
When you decide to become an Arsenal fan… pic.twitter.com/wjwuGfPbRn
— Paddy Power (@paddypower) March 2, 2018
Renowned for its lack of legroom and extortionate carry-on prices, budget airline Ryanair is another brand that knows its audience. All it takes is a quick scroll through the company’s X account to see that they’re not just masters of affordable flight travel, but also genius social media marketers. Their bio even states: “Catch flights, not feelings”. Below are a couple of examples of what they tweet to their 800k+ followers…
bend your knees https://t.co/3EUtpr0MWB
— Ryanair (@Ryanair) March 9, 2022
you may only look out of one https://t.co/goZsZ9zkqb
— Ryanair (@Ryanair) April 2, 2024
Winning customers with confident clarity
Elsewhere, other brands opt for straightforward language that aligns with their core values and resonates authentically with their respective target audiences. Think Nike’s “Just Do It” and Apple’s “Think Different”. These are two slogans that champion the art of simplicity. It’s not about being loud or toeing the line between funny and rude – it’s about being confidently straightforward. The boldness lies in the clarity of the messages and the assurance they instil in customers.
This approach can prove just as effective for B2B brands, with going against the grain and challenging stereotypes serving as a compelling marketing strategy. Recruiters, for example, can employ bold language to acknowledge the competition and highlight how they’re disrupting the industry. Similarly, financial institutions can leverage boldness by challenging the traditional image associated with the sector and showcasing their dynamic, client-centric solutions.
Determining how bold you want to be
Deciding to be bold is just the beginning. To maximise your brand’s impact, you need to determine the degree of boldness you’re looking to achieve. Do you want your content to be tongue-in-cheek, provocative, or shocking? Are you aiming to convey quiet self-assuredness, or would you prefer to paint yourself as the unequivocal champion of the market?
Here’s where tone of voice guidelines prove invaluable. By collaborating with an expert content team, you can pinpoint precisely where you want to sit on the boldness scale, ensuring your message delivers the desired impact. It’s not just about being bold – it’s about being strategically bold to strike a chord with your target audience.
Make a statement with MYC
Keen to unleash the power of boldness in your copy? Get in touch to arrange a brand workshop tailored to your marketing strategy, content needs, and commercial objectives. We’ll dig deep into what ‘bold’ means to you, before crafting guiding documents and a plan to show your confidence to the world.
