Big brands are making a foray into the world of poetry as they look at new ways to use the written word to connect and engage with consumers across traditional and social media platforms.
Coca Cola has arguably produced the most high profile targeted verse with its Super Bowl Sunday campaign, which featured an inclusive message from poet and Wieden + Kennedy copywriter, Rebecca Wadlinger, and aired in the fourth quarter of the showpiece match earlier this month.
Other brands have also put their own spin on the trending creative format. Microsoft recently used a 60-second ad with hip-hop artist and actor, Common, conveying the potential of artificial intelligence through a short and concise poem, while A+E Networks rolled out an interactive film about storytelling using poetry.
The shift from brand-centric rhetoric to rhythmic verse has enabled marketers to deliver content that is more authentic and capable of making more a personal connection with consumers. Poetry has also become more popular with younger audiences during the last twelve months.
“We are now seeing poetry used in commercial storytelling because viewers are wise to conventional advertising and are bombarded by it, so they have developed ways to filter it out,” says David Blackburn, editor for post-production company, PS260.
Blackburn added that poetry is more engaging than most ad copy, and the audience feels more inclined to respond to a feeling or lifestyle rather than traditional sales approaches or hard sells. He also stated that such viewers are more likely to subscribe to a brand when stimulated by human and emotional connections that stem from artistic outlets such as poetry.
