Every Tuesday night is Trivia Night at our local watering hole.
My buddy Jim and I are regulars; my daughter and her boyfriend appear occasionally as well.
The establishment, a small craft brewery, re-launched Trivia nights early this Summer once it appeared things were getting back to some semblance of normal. And even with THAT not exactly being the case, they’re continuing the tradition and the place is pretty much packed every week.
Of course, one of the most challenging aspects of “Trivia Night” isn’t resurrecting long-dormant neurons to recall the name of the “oldest Spice girl” or the cartoon dog who shared the stage with Sherman and the wayback machine…
It’s what to name your team.
Because you can’t just show up and call yourself “Jack and Jim” or something equally banal.
A proper team name involves style, panache, even a dash of gusto.
Ours used to be “Dilly’s and Dolly’s” – a reference to the Bud Light beer commercial where the King and his court all shouted out, “Dilly Dilly!” – and back in the early days, our wives would join us for these matches, thus it seemed fitting.
But those ads have long since passed into memory. Likewise, our team’s now down pretty much to just me and him.
Thus we’ve been searching for updated trivia-l branding.
Now some of my personal favorite team names that I’ve encountered include:
- “Hooray for Babysitters”
- “Crystal Methodists”
- “We’re Only Here For the Beer”
I liked them all – and when I asked myself why, I realized that each in its own way caught on to the collective gestalt of that audience and/or experience.
And THAT’s a powerful principle worthy of pondering the next time YOU write copy.
Because entering the conversation in the prospect’s mind makes the job of creating an instant connection practically automatic.
You don’t have to jolt them into attention – they’re already focused on the thing they’re thinking about, worrying about, laying awake at night about.
Copywriters have been leveraging this technique for ages – many times tying their offer to celebrities and politicians – for example:
“The Truth Behind Obamacare’s Job-Killing Tax”
“7 Rules Trump’s Dad Never Taught Him”
We’re definitely coming up on the mother-of-themed-advertising season, with Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Black Friday looming at the door. Those, along with the 24-7 news cycle that constantly bombards us with novelties and pain, there’s a wealth of opportunities into which to plug.
So put your finger in the wind to see what’s going around that you might hitch your copy wagon to – there’s bound to be some event, celebrity, holiday, or what-have-you available for ready use.
It’ll definitely help you Write Faster, Write Better, Right Now.
-Jack Turk
“World’s Fastest Copywriter”