Coke tastes best in a glass bottle. It’s OK in a can and a little less OK in a plastic bottle. But according to official Coca Cola people, though the container changes, the actual formula to make Coke doesn’t.
True Coke lovers know better.
Certain food scientists admit that chemicals in packaging material can “interact” with a product — changing the taste just slightly, though plenty of efforts are made to prevent it.
It’d be a lot better to acknowledge that formula modifications may be required for different containers. And this applies across several situations. It’s the same idea for the copy in your company brochure. Or the website you hope to throw together for a new campaign. Your sentences may be perfect, but it can still feel like something is missing if you haven’t thought about the environment in which your words will live.
One of our fine columnists recently penned some thoughts about clarity and reading experiences. In truth, there are a lot of theories about how people read best on the web — with the help of bullet points, short paragraphs, lists. I appreciate that. I also appreciate long paragraphs and long stories with no bullets or list in sight.
Come to think of it, there are lots of theories about how people read magazines. And brochures. And apps. But what doesn’t change — regardless of the format or media — is that if it’s clear the creator has thought about how a user will interact with the words, then I’m more likely to engage whatever they put in front of me. I automatically trust that they know what they’re doing.
A few standard things I look for when running around the internet or flipping through my mail:
- Copy has a clear, established (and consistent) tone.
- There aren’t sentences that are obviously left over from wherever the copy was snagged.
- I know what I’m supposed to do after reading the copy: be informed, buy, sign up, order or share.
The good news about Coke’s current stance is that they’re missing a great opportunity to make me a hard-core addict. If every version tasted like the one in the harder-to-find glass bottles, my health would be in a lot more trouble.