Yesterday, I was not kind to the folks who wrote the Bonobos ad posted here.
Of course, I had no idea whether or not anybody at Bonobos would ever see my critique. To my shock and delight, Employee #2 at Bonobos (Adam) posted a comment within 15 minutes from the time I hit “publish.” I was both surprised and impressed.
Apparently, Adam discovered my post via Twitter. His initial response to my post was much different than I expected. He wrote:
This is great feedback. Not a great ad. Lots of excuses we could make but ultimately we fail on all the points you mention. We will definitely put these ideas to use and have the copywriters take a look around the blog. We’re still a young company (started in late 2007) and have only recently expanded our marketing efforts in a meaningful way. We’re getting better but have a long way to go.
I wasn’t only impressed by the way Adam responded. From one salesman to another, I was impressed that he continued to promote Bonobos in an endearing way.
As he replied in the comments: “Hopefully Ryan’s ad made you want to go buy some stuff at Bonobos! Even though the Bonobos version didn’t. Thanks for the feedback.”
Another blog reader (Matt) was also impressed with how Adam handled the criticism. He said:
If nothing else, I’m blown away by the way Adam from Bobonos is jumping all over this and ever-so-politely using even this slightly negative press to build his brand.
You think Levi’s or Dockers would be doing the same? Heck no.
Kudos Adam. I’m a copywriter, so I don’t often wear pants or even leave the house. But if I did I’d consider Bobonos. (It is fun to say.)
Many people online just get angry when they’re criticized. They say things they shouldn’t. They turn off potential customers.
But just remember… if you keep your cool and respond to criticism in the right way, you can still win over new customers.
In case you missed yesterday’s post, you can check out my critique of the Bonobos ad here.
-Ryan M. Healy
About Ryan M. Healy
Ryan Healy is a direct response copywriter. Since 2002, he has worked with scores of clients, including BoostCTR, Alex Mandossian, Terry Dean, and Pulte Homes. He writes a popular blog about copywriting, advertising, and business growth, has been featured in publications like Feed Front magazine, and is a regular contributor to WordStream.com, BoostCTR.com, and MarketingForSuccess.com.
I launched my freelance copywriting career on June 13, 2005. Much to my surprise, I landed three clients in the first two weeks. If you'd like to discover how I did it, then click here now » |
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Excellent! I just read an article talking about “flawsome” – the idea that people gravitate towards awesome companies even if they’re flawed…
And I would agree. There’s a lot to knowing that there is a human behind a product, brand, or service. Good on ya’ Adam from Bonobos…
Oh, and what is khaki diaper butt?
Hey Mike – Totally agree. Every company makes mistakes; it’s how they respond that can really win you over. Thanks for commenting!
Dang. Wonder if you’ll get a new client out of all of this? :)
That wasn’t my purpose in writing the post, but I wouldn’t complain. :-)
Thanks for the comment, Tom.
Khaki diaper butt is easily Bonobos’ ticket to going viral if they’re willing to poke a bit of fun at themselves…like Juicy Fruit did with their guitar guy.
I can imagine that term alone trending on Twitter right now.
John – Yeah, I could see “Khaki Diaper Butt” working well as a viral campaign. But would it drive sales? That’s the big question.
I’d use Khaki Diaper Butt moreover as an attention generator…not for the generation of direct sales.
As direct marketers we understand how many times you have to put something in front of a prospect for them to retain the name…which can be remarkably costly.
If Bonobos could pull five or six million eyes to a video on Youtube, you’re drawing some serious attention for little to no cost depending on how organic the approach is.
I think that’s a remarkable.
And cool.
Hey!
Thanks for posting a good example of a so-so ad (I won’t say bad because Adam DID say it got a lot of attention a while back) and how to improve it.
“Bonobo” caught my eye on this post because any wordy geek will be able to tell you that Bonobos are a type of great ape well-known for their high levels of sexual behavior. So unlike Ryan, I gave them a plus for the weird name, at least for attracting the curiosity of people like me.
But Ryan did do a great job of showing how to quickly and simplY improve weaknesses in not-so-great copy. Thanks!
Thanks for the comment, Jonny!
remarkable story* that is.
Great way to use twitter to get ideas as well as leads?
Thanks for the responses, everyone. We’re writing some new ads here and I’m thinking about how they can be made better by incorporating some of the ideas in your comments. For the record, khaki diaper butt is a condition caused by wearing ill-fitting, baggy pants. Many men in America wear clothing that is just too big for them…and with pants, this can create the illusion that a guy is wearing some extra large underwear under his khakis. Our pants are designed to fit better and be flattering on a lot of different body types. They’re neither too tight, nor too baggy on the majority of the guys that try them on. As for poking fun at ourselves, I’d say that’s one of the things we’re best at doing. Didn’t really get conveyed in this ad. But, our brand is about fun and making good style and a great fit accessible, not intimidating, like a lot of fashion brands can be. Hope you’ll check us out!
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