Poetry: the new trend in branding and advertising.
Poetry has been known as a form of storytelling for centuries. In the late 80’s, poets were engaged to assist in advertising slogans and writing jingles. When Covid-19 hit and everyone’s lives became harder, brands realised that they needed a way to connect to their audiences on a more humane level.
The resurgence of poetry and in particular spoken word across the world has been steadily increasing over the past few years. It is no surprise then that brands began approaching poets and spoken word artists to assist them in rebuilding a connection with their audiences through their poignant art form.
“The advertising industry, which is always keen to tap into culture, has picked up on this trend.” - The Campaign Live.
What is spoken word and why does it work so well?
Spoken word is poetry that is intended for performance - though it can also be published on the page. It has its roots in oral traditions and performance with themes that often refer to issues of social justice, politics, race, and community.
The rhythmic and expressive nature of spoken word poetry speaks straight to the heart, creating a feel good feeling and instant connection in a way that a regular advertising slogan could not match - no matter how catchy, witty or subversive. In these times, people are craving something real and something that makes them feel relevant and hopeful. Spoken word is also popular amongst younger generations, and gives brands a new channel of communication to this demographic.
Using poetry within a campaign allows a brand to articulate feeling and emotion, instead of simply selling the product or service. It becomes about the people, the customer, not the brand - but it shows that the brand understands.
It is no secret that building trust and connection, whether it be business to consumers or person to person, is about the ability to reach people and convey sincerity. As poetry is an inherently empathetic form of communication, it speaks beyond niche demographics, to the human experience. This is what makes it both powerful and relatable to the masses.
This is why brands such as Coca Cola, EE, Facebook, Chanel, Santander and Ova Energy to name a few, have collaborated with poets for marketing / advertising campaigns.
Here are some of our favourite campaigns:
Hussain Manawerc has created poetic campaigns for the Samaritans, the Mayor of London and most recently a short film for the phone network EE in England. You can see the video here. https://youtu.be/dw1iQColFb4
Salma El-Wardany, whose poetry is known for candid depictions of sex, periods and cultural perspecitves, has collaborated with Always, Bumble and Hinge.
Pamela Ayres, who debuts in the 70’s, wrote for Santander’s “Scam sonnets” campaign, which aims to highlight the issue of investment fraud among older Brits.
George the Poet, who became the voice of hope on Coca Cola’s advertising campaign during the pandemic, and leaves you with that feel good feeling https://youtu.be/SukwNeHMMhQ
Caribbean Collective are proud to present our very own in-house poet.
Our copywriter Sang Ji is also a published poet!
So if you want to hop on the poetry trend, or want to take a more lyrical tone in your marketing and advertising campaign, get in touch and we can start crafting the ode to your brand.
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