(Pulled from a Swanson Russell newsletter piece.)
A writer finding their voice is a bit of a coming-of-age story. It’s like we’re back in high school deciding if we want to be seen as the class clown, the one who has their life together, the quiet and compassionate one or whatever other stereotype we think we’d like to settle into. As an agency copywriter though, even when we find our voice, we hardly ever get to write in it. For our clients, we have to put on a hat that’s not our own and assume the role, and voice, of the person who would wear it.
In my first year as a full-timer, I’ve had to wear the hat of a new parent terrified of the cost of college, a golf course superintendent trying to make sure their course is beautiful within budget, a greenhouse grower seeking a more sustainable substrate and a fisherman who is willing to spend more on his boat than his house. You don’t have to know much about me to imagine that none of these hats are ones I’d naturally wear. I’m a certified goober who makes eye-roll worthy puns, slams two Red Bulls a day and uses words like “sick,” “dope” and “gnarly” in normal conversation. If I had to pinpoint what hat I naturally wear, it’d be one of those multi-colored hats with the little propeller on top.
Once in a blue moon, though, something magnificent happens to writers where a client’s voice aligns perfectly with their own. For us, this is striking gold – the work becomes effortlessly fun and magic happens. So in February, when we won the business of WOW Watersports, a new outdoor rec client with some wild products, I saw my gold mine – my opportunity to make some real magic.
WOW’s brand is wacky, energetic and always down to get gnarly on some water. Here is a client whose voice is so similar to my own that I’ll be texting a friend and think to myself actually, that sentence could work well for a WOW Instagram caption. And thanks to a client contact who’s willing to trust our recommendations, we’ve been able to compare tubing to riding rainbows, explode emoji heads in the name of selling water trampolines and use autocorrect’s version of the f word in an Instagram caption. This is my writing heaven.
Writing for WOW is the epitome of how we foster Real Connection™ here at Swanson Russell. I think that’s something special about our agency, that when getting a new client, we take the time to choose a team that’s truly full of the best for that brand. Putting Hoke on Visit Omaha gave birth to OMAR; Charlie’s goofy brain led Lincoln city busses to “run on beef and cabbage”; and Lundeen’s ability to let his mind wander allowed Humminbird and the Johnson Outdoors family to host a star-studded reality YouTube series complete with a helicopter drop. When you let a writer wear their own hat, Real Connection™ is at its strongest.