Question of the Week: Does Grammar Really Matter in Online Advertising?

Over a half century ago, there was a highly controversial ad campaign that went like this: ”Winston tastes good like a cigarette should".   

The controversy had nothing to do whatsoever with the

product being advertised. After all, in the 1950s, smoking cigarettes was the remedy for everything from stilling a surgeon’s unsteady hands to being chronically uncool.

Rather, the issue was the use of non-standard grammar. So preposterous was this grammatical travesty that Walter Cronkite refused to read the line on the air. 

And yet, the campaign was highly successful.

So Does That Mean You Can Go Ahead and Call Anarchy on Grammar Rules?

Well, that depends.

In spite of how grammar has been casually tossed aside in news stories and nearly exiled from much of social media, there are still some places where proper grammar matters. 

Like, say, when your brand’s expectation is competence. Then it matters.

For instance, if you’re advertising for a law firm, potential clients want to know that the person representing them is learned and experienced. It’s one thing to connect with clients once you’ve attained them - like using a little transparent language to better relate to a client who hails from a one-pony town deep in Appalachia. It’s another thing altogether to advertise as the attorneys to contact, “When your life is got all tore up.” 

Okay. That was a hyperbolic example of how it matters. Sometimes.  

Because if you have a more playful brand, it’s a different story. If your product is cheese puffs or novelty t-shirts, for instance, you’re going to have some serious wiggle room when it comes to grammar. The guy in the “I’m with Stupid” t-shirt eating Cheetos for breakfast probably doesn’t care if you’ve earned a master’s degree in English.

Chances are, your product/service likely falls somewhere between practicing law and peddling puffed corn products. So how, pray tell, do you know how much leeway you have with grammar? 

Some of it is just gut instinct. Particularly if you know your customers pretty well.  

But You Can Also Use A/B Testing 

If you’re working with something like AdWords, you can test out several variations. It will become apparent what converts the best. With its ridiculous wealth of data - clearly in the top 1% - that’s the luxury of online advertising. 

So to break it down, the rules of grammar in online advertising refer more to the rules and structures of your brand, rather than those dictated by Strunk and White.  

Some Brands Have Strict Reference Guides, While Others Are More Chill

The overriding idea with copy for any brand is to keep things conversational - provided those conversations aren’t laden with a haunting disregard for grammar. Finding the right voice for your brand starts with powerful copy. 

And powerful copy has substance - entertaining content, engaging stories, utility, things of that sort. Maybe some dancing robots. So substance should be the primary focus. Then tackle grammar. 

Unless your demographic is a convention of Strunks and Whites. To which we say, we're so sorry.