Copywriting Portfolio

Verbal Identity Exercises

In the below verbal identity exercises, my answers are in written roman text and all prompts are in italics.

Exercise #1: Tone of Voice 

Prompt: Our client, BlankBank, is a new digital bank. They’re still settling on their tone of voice, and we want to bring it to life for them so they can make an informed choice.  

The below is a web banner for their Rewards Credit Card. It offers an industry-leading 3% cash back on all purchases made in a category of the customer’s choosing (groceries, gas, online shopping, dining etc).

Can you rewrite it in each of the two voices?  

Choose how you want to be rewarded. 

With the BlankBank Rewards Card, 

you'll get 3% cash back on all purchases 

in the category of your choice.

They’re deciding between two routes:  

1. To show themselves to be as solid and trustworthy as the big banks This approach needs a voice that is sophisticated and authoritative. 

Select how you reward yourself. 

The BlankBank Rewards Card delivers an industry-leading 3% cash back on all purchases in the category of your choosing.

OR

Multiply your purchasing power.

The BlankBank Rewards Card delivers an industry-leading 3% cash back on all purchases in the category of your choosing.

2. To own their role as disruptors, and be different from the big banks This approach requires a tone of voice that's playful and provocative.

Make it rain with 3% cash back.

With the BlankBank Rewards Card, you choose which purchase category is center stage.

Exercise #2: Naming 

Below is a brief for a naming project. After reading, please generate between 5-10 names and include a short explanation of why you think they fit the brief. 

Our client is a major auto manufacturer who plans to launch a new pickup truck in the US. 

The vehicle is a powerful workhorse, in the mold of a Toyota Hilux, but it is completely electric. It's targeted towards an audience who value trucks for their toughness, practicality and grunt, but are ready to move to something more sustainable. 

The challenge in this brief is framing sustainability in a robust, outdoorsy way. Nissan’s “Leaf”, for instance, clearly talks to  sustainability, but sounds too soft for this audience. And Nikola’s “Badger”, while sounding tough, doesn’t really talk to its electric power. How do you name an electric truck in a way that achieves both these things?

  • The Conductor (it has the dual meaning of a driver and a material that conducts electricity)

  • The Orion (a giant and hunter who was changed into a constellation after his death; Orion is a strong-sounding name; the constellation, Orion’s Belt, is a well-known constellation which consists of three bright stars in a straight line; stars emit light and are associated with electricity)

  • The Charge (it has the dual meaning of to store electrical energy in a battery and to a headlong rush forward, typically one made by attacking soldiers in battle)

  • The Electrek (a play on the words “electric” and “trek,” a long, arduous journey which only rugged individuals would go on)

  • The Phaetron (a portmanteau of “phaeton,” a light, open, four-wheeled horse-drawn carriage and the suffix “-tron,” denoting a subatomic particle, like an electron, which has charge of negative electricity)

  • The Surge (a major deployment of military forces to reinforce those already in a particular area; a sudden marked increase in voltage or current in an electric circuit; a powerful rush of emotions)

Exercise 3: Brand story  

While a brand story can take many forms, its role is always the same: to capture a brand’s purpose in a way that attracts customers and rallies employees. It’s grounded in what a brand does, but it’s all about why that brand matters. Unlike a typical About Us page, a brand story should move people, give them goosebumps, get them on their feet.  

Example: Apple  

Here’s to the crazy ones.  

The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers.  

The round pegs in square holes.  

The ones who see things differently.  

They’re not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status quo. You can  quote them, disagree with them, glorify, or vilify them.  

But the only thing you can’t do is ignore them.  

Because they change things.  

They push the human race forward.  

And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius.  

Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are  the ones who do.  

Example: GoPro  

Think it. See it. Do it. 

We dream. We have passionate ideas about what’s possible in this world. Our  passions lead us to create experiences and realities that expand our world and  inspire those around us.  

GoPro helps people capture and share their lives’ most meaningful experiences with others—to celebrate them together. Like how a day on the mountain with friends is more meaningful than one spent alone, the sharing of our collective experiences makes our lives more fun.  

The world’s most versatile cameras are what we make. 

Enabling you to share your life through incredible photos and videos is what we do. 

Our client, the U.S. Army, is rapidly losing relevance for Millennials and Generation Z. Write a brand story for the U.S. Army that’s authentic to the organization but refreshes the brand in a way that appeals to these audiences.  

Imagine that your story will be used as a script for a video that will be shown to every U.S. Army recruit across the country.  

Things to think about… What promise should the U.S Army make? What are these audiences looking for? How can the U.S. Army change how these audiences perceive its brand while staying to true to its roots? 

The purpose you’ve been searching for.

The chance to discover your calling and build your career.

The opportunity to travel the world.

We come from all over, from sea to shining sea, to embark on this journey and make a positive impact together.

Each day, we uphold our duty by pushing one another to get physically and mentally stronger and to hold our heads up higher.

Serve with honor.

Protect with determination.

Your legacy starts here.

GoArmy.

Musée Magazine “Support” Page:

I do not own the copy for this. I wrote this with editor-in-chief and founder, Andrea Blanch, in 2017.

Instagram Posts for Musée Magazine:

Captions that I wrote in 2017: