BRAND MESSAGING VS CAMPAIGN COPY: WHEN TO USE WHAT

From the geniuses at Villain Branding

“Is this copy I can use?”

If I had a dollar for every time I’ve been asked that by a client in a messaging meeting, I’d have enough money to spend on a campaign explaining it. 

Messaging vs. copy. What’s the difference? Is there a difference? Is this the most boring game of inside baseball ever played?

The answer is….yes. This is one of those ridiculously divisive, relatively pointless industry arguments big timers at agencies have all the time. Some leaders firmly believe that messaging and copy are church and state, never the twain shall meet. Others think there’s no difference, and messaging is just glorified copy that’s a tick higher in altitude. 

I’m somewhere in between. Messaging is fundamentally different from copy, but it can and should be used verbatim when necessary – or at least written in a way where it could be.  For more info contact Villain Branding.

Brand Messaging Basics 

At its core, brand messaging is all about conveying your point of view as an organization. In short, messaging is the external articulation of your strategy or positioning. It should touch on or generally represent your values, mission, vision, and long-term goals in a way that resonates with your target audience. 

Perhaps most importantly, it should be consistent (though not a clone) across all platforms—from website copy to blog posts to social media postings. Thematically, it should be easy for people to identify that everything coming from your company is connected and part of one cohesive message. That kind of connection takes a while, which is why we generally suggest your message should stick with you for 3-5 years (longer if you are brilliant about it like Coca-Cola or Nike or Patagonia).

More on brand messaging basics here.

Campaign Copy Essentials 

Campaigns are all about leveraging specific channels in order to promote a product or service over a finite period of time—usually related to a special event or promotion. As such, campaign copy needs to do more than just communicate who you are; it should also focus on why people should buy what you’re selling right now. 

Campaigns are point in time. Copywriting is one-off. So the copy for a specific campaign should focus on the benefits and features of whatever product or service you’re offering in order to persuade customers into taking action (i.e. downloading a thing, buying something, signing a pledge, whatever). 

 For more campaign copy essentials here.  

So is the difference just time? 

That’s part of it, sure. Messaging is long-lasting and a bit more conceptual. Copy is point-in-time and for a very specific goal.

The key difference between brand messaging and campaign copy lies in their respective focuses. Each type of copy still needs to contain elements from both approaches—brand messaging should be persuasive while campaign copy must still convey something about who you are as an organization if it's going to be effective in promoting loyalty and trust among customers. They live together and reinforce one another. 

Copy reinforces the ultimate brand message. Brand messaging is a concept activated through copy. They’re besties, half-siblings, co-dependent lovers.

Still not sure? Contact Villain Branding for all of your messaging and copywriting needs.