In Content Town, rumours spread like wildfire, and when it came to a newbie, the wildfire took just a few seconds. In those days, the town was stuck in a tussle between ‘Informative’ and ‘Entertainment’ the two opposing leaders. One fine day, a newbie named ‘Quirky’ set foot in Content Town. No one knew where he was from, or what he was like. All they knew was that he was here to stay and slay. It was a similar case with content & copy writers when the quirky style of writing was introduced to them.
If we come down to defining the term quirky, it means something unusual in an appealing or interesting way. The ‘quirky’ form of copywriting is a blend of information and entertainment, portrayed in an attractive manner. This form of copywriting has gradually become the voice and tonality of many brands, due to its expressive characteristics.
Some brands set the best examples in terms of speaking Quirky. The first one that pops into our minds is Amul-The Taste Of India. From pun-intended copies to quick adaptations of trends and news, Amul’s content marketing has always turned out to be edgy and attractive. Next on the list is Discovery which has the ability to make us fall in love with nature with its captions, besides their photographs. From cute to funny, their captions bring out the emotions that may be running on our minds. Speaking of quirky copywriting and not mentioning Netflix would be unfair. From actively replying to other brands’ tweets, and taking on trending opportunities to promoting shows with savage captions, Netflix does a great job of bringing the brand alive.
Since its introduction, this form of copywriting has evolved through social media in many ways. It has improved the audiences’ engagement with the brands, paved the way for influencers, and positioned brands in a new, more personal, and ‘not directly selling’ light amongst the audience. This form of content & copy writing is adapted in various ways, from design to caption and even implemented in long content forms to add an interesting element to retain readers’ attention.
In no time, Quirky became the new favourite among marketers. It was attractive, self-explanatory, and expressive. It was new and fresh, just what was needed to break apart the monotony of ‘informative’ and ‘entertainment’. But would it be able to keep a hold on the content town for long?
While the aforementioned are a few notable examples, there are several brands that refrained from adopting the quirky copy format. The quirky style of copywriting is entertaining and attractive, but it cannot fit the bill of every brand. Brands like Tiffany & Co., Cure.fit, mCaffeine, etc. exhibit a composed brand personality, which is why it made sense to avoid going quirky. Sticking with their tried and tested formula worked best for them.
It took some time, but the buzz around Quirky eventually died down. The reason? Everyone realised that he wasn’t here to replace anyone but to make his own place. Quirky. assumed to be the new star and leader of the town, was merely a game-changer from the traditional copywriting techniques. Once the wildfire was put out, everyone got back to their lives with Quirky as a new member of Content Town.