Three: We’re sorry
It all begins with an idea.
We’re often told ‘you shouldn’t use negative language’. And we often wonder: Is that really true?
This ad from UK mobile phone brand Three puts paid to the myth.
It’s jam-packed with negative language. But the result entertains and uplifts.
Audi: Parts. Labour. Prices.
One-word-sentences are called ‘fragments. This headline from Audi uses four of them.
They give a confident ‘punchiness’ to the writing. It starts as it means to go on.
And, top-right, you’ll see Audi’s famous tagline. It roughly translates as Progress through Technology. But by being in German, as it is, it reinforces the ‘German-ness’ of the brand: a cultural stereotype that works to Audi’s advantage, reinforcing efficiency and quality.
Readers of a certain age will also remember the understated humour with which the line was delivered in TV advertising during the ‘80s. It’s interesting to consider whether that comes through at all to a younger audience who’ve never seen it. Maybe the line just seems odd?