A headline by deadline or it’s the breadline for you

Writing rhymes in headlines, slogans, product names or even in body copy is a powerful way to build brand recognition and convey a unique selling proposition. It’s a technique headline and copywriters have used since the dawn of their professions.

And why not? It’s proven to be most effective.

Here’s a test: Humpty Dumpty

I’ll bet you recited the entire nursery rhyme with nary a hiccup. That was an easy test. How many of you know all twelve verses of Old Mother Hubbard and Her Dog?

Naturally, shorter verses are simpler to remember, especially those that use figures of speech, like assonance. Assonance is the repetition of rhyming vowel sounds in verse. “Holly and Polly thought it no folly to play with a dolly known as Miss Molly.” is an example.

The skill is writing in rhythm. Re-read the the above verse. Do you sense the rhythm? You should be able to recognize four distinct clauses that all read with the same cadence:

1. Holly and Polly
2. thought it no folly
3. to play with a dolly
4. known as Miss Molly

Here’s another one: “Billy and Lilly could be so silly, skipping and slipping on terrain so hilly.”

Pretty cool, and very easy to memorize.

Is there value in writing advertising copy in verse implementing assonance? I say yes, if done well. You must respect your audience and the brand. There must be useful information contained in the text. Or a statement you are making about your company, product or service via the style and tone of the copy (think Southwest Airlines and Geico). If the verbiage is simply cute and memorable, but conveys nothing of redeeming value, then all you’ve done is entertain. Clients don’t pay you to entertain and their target audience doesn’t wish to read, listen or view advertisements for entertainment purposes.

If you’ve written a headline or slogan using assonance, or a favorite advertisement employs the figure of speech, tell me about it in Comments. For the curious, the Holly and Polly and Billy and Lilly rhymes were penned by me for this post. Maybe I have discovered a new talent.

LiveJournal Tags: alliteration,consonance,assonance,figure of speech,rhymes,copywriting,ghost writing,ad copy,freelance,marketing communications communications,social media writer,blogging