The Little Copy That Could

Behold! Actual 360˚! (Actual Size)

There’s a lot of talk in our business about “360˚-ness” and covering off all the “brand touch points,” and how important that is to overall brand perception. We wax on about how we, as good brand stewards, should always always always make sure “each-and-every point of contact with consumers reflects back to the central brand idea.”

Who would disagree with that in public? Nobody. It’s Brand 101. Duh.

But let’s be realistic and brutally honest for a moment. In the daily grind of deadlines, scope creep, and “not enough hours in the day” sometimes those touchpoints on the outer edge of the brand galaxy don't get the love they deserve.

• The little things.
• The fast turnarounds.
• The annoying stuff.

Hey, we’ve all been there. But (for those of us that care about these things) you still do everything in your power to not let those fall by the wayside. You dig deep. You get it done.

Personally, I think I have a pretty good track record in that area, but sometimes even the best of us have to pick and choose what gets our undivided attention, and what gets “good enough for Government work.” It’s simple physics. And, more often than not, economics.

So imagine my surprise when I opened up my new HMDX Bluetooth Speaker (Bed Bath & Beyond: $49.99) to find a small (very small) folded instruction manual, tucked into the recesses of the clear plastic packaging.

The main reason it stood out was because it was so small. That, and it was bright pink.

I had so many questions:

• Did the packaging not leave room for a slightly larger brochure?
• Were they trying for the “smallest instruction manual” world record?
• Was their printing budget under ¢0.02 per?

This thing was 1.5” square (at most), and folded like a crazy map. I almost threw it away by accident. But I didn’t. I opened it.

Now…I don’t need reading glasses quite yet, but this had me considering them: the type was that small, probably not even 4pt.

And hey, I own other Bluetooth things, too. I know how they work, and I know how to set them up. This speakerbox was probably no different. So I was a "50/50" to go in cold, and get music out of this thing.

I don’t know why I read it, but I did.

I think it was the challenge of reading something so darn small (take that, eyes!).

I expected to be a) bored, b) annoyed, and c) possibly informed, but probably not – instead, I got this:

JUST CHARGE IT

Charging the speaker is so easy you’ve probably figured it out by now, but just in case, you’ve got two options…

I did a double-take. “Hey, that didn’t suck!” It sounded like actual English. I was intrigued.

So I skipped to the all important Bluetooth setup section:

BLUETOOTH CONNECTION: IT’S A SETUP

Like any amazing couple, this one starts with a connection–one between your device and the speaker’s Bluetooth.

Yes! How true! Let me read more!

Here’s how it works:

1. We know you’re probably going to think “derp” with this one, but we have to say it: Make sure the smartphone, tablet or computer you want to hook up to the speaker has Bluetooth. (There. We got that out of the way.)

2. Turn on the speaker (press and hold for 5 seconds and look for the little blinking light.

3. Do whatever your device needs you to do on its end. (We don’t know what you’re using. We’re not spies.)

4. Look for HMDS Blast in your device’s Bluetooth list or click YES–whatever pops up on your device– and BAM! you’re connected.

5. Now hit PLAY on your speaker and crank it up–or down if you’re lame.

Absolutely wonderful. And any time you can get away with using “derp” in copy, we all win.

The other sections were all like that, wonderfully written: fun, informative, and yay!

Golden copy hits like:

HOOKING UP OLD SCHOOL AUDIO, JACK

HELLO? SPEAKERPHONE? YES!

And…

STUFF THE GOVERNMENT MAKES US SAY

I laughed. I cried. I actually learned something! And I ended up reading every single bit. When’s the last time you did that with anything?

* Is there a “Cannes Titanium Instruction Manual –Copy” designation? Because, if there is, I’m entering this thing on the behalf of whomever did this.

I couldn't find a PDF on their website, so I scanned it in and put it on my imgur, in case you'd like to gander for yourself:

FRONT

BACK

Good question: Who did this?

Who are you Mr. or Mrs. “I’m gonna do a kick ass job on something only 3 people will bother to look at.” I want to hire him or her. I’m dead serious. Email me.

It’s sad, because I would bet they probably wouldn’t put this in their book. Because “you’re only supposed to put high profile award winning stuff” in your book, right? But this should be in your book. And any Creative Director worth any salt should notice it, and understand what a flawless victory this piece was.

It meets all the important criteria:

• A small, annoying piece of “must have” communication?
• No design or art direction whatsoever?
• No recognition, no awards, no pat on the back?
• Need it by yesterday?

Sign me up!

Whomever wrote this gem could have easily phoned it in. After all, it’s not like HMDX is some sort of powerful cultural force with an established brand voice and a high bar of quality to live up to. Quite the opposite, actually. It’s hard to find much info on HMDX at all. Their website is a tad “under-cooked” (to be kind) and imho doesn’t do the brand nearly as much justice as this little, awesome instruction manual (ping me, HMDX, and we can fix that website thing).

Okay. I’m done. We get the point.

This just goes to show you (and remind me) that it’s all important. Everything we do. From the Super Bowl spot, to what dumb little tchotchke you decide to give out at the sales conference. Everything matters. Everything has it’s place in the grand brand scheme. Every opportunity is an opportunity.

Nothing is safe… from being awesome.