What We Need in Marketing and Copywriting Right Now

It was my second time seeing this show; I saw it last year in my hometown of Boston. Why see it twice? Because the three-hour show is… what? It’s less a concert and more a Festival of Pure Joy. It’s a tangible celebration of everything good in the world—of community, beauty, generosity, friendship, family, love, kindness among strangers. Of Dads wearing sparkle stickers on their bald heads. Of mothers and young girls twinning in matching looks. Of two boyfriends swaying arm in arm. Of a surprise pop-in by Ed Sheeran (!) joining Taylor on stage. (That’s the moment captured in the image above; the stadium went WILD.) There’s no hate here. No judgment. How many places are like that in the world? All centered around art and storytelling. That’s what Taylor Swift has created for us. That’s the gift she leaves behind in every city she plays on this epic world tour spanning 5 continents. Fan or not… it’s magical. There’s no other word for it. Taylor writes about her life and dreams. She tells stories about worlds she invents. Yet the magic is that we see ourselves and our children and our mothers in her every word. It’s transformative—that many people in a stadium scream-singing out love and heartache, acceptance and truth. It cuts close to the bone. (And by the way, if you’re on the fence about going to one of the final five cities of the tour—this is my urgent plea—DO IT DO IT DO IT. I want you to feel it, too.) * * * Flying home now on Virgin Atlantic, I feel wrung-out. Used up. Emotionally hungover. The way you do after an intense workout or a good cry. My Fitbit wonders who I am with all the activity: Did you suddenly decide to run a marathon? Move a piano up 5 flights of stairs? Adopt a border collie? My brain would probably try to explain, except it can’t articulate a thought. Yet also wants to say too much. Tired. Yet wired. So let’s turn our attention to the seat-back entertainment screen in front of us. Let’s search through the movies—starting with the recently added (because novelty). Let’s forget about the newsletter writing and instead find something entertaining; something that will extend the Eras Tour high. We flip through some options… reading the descriptions because even my tired/wired brain can’t help but read copy. (You, too?) In between the usual movie titles we notice some unfamiliar ones. What are these…? First up:

Source: Swim.

“Swim. In this charming animation, an older woman longs to learn how to swim but when she dips her toe in the water, she awakens creatures deep in the ocean. This jaunty classical soundtrack may be familiar to people living with dementia and might get some feet tapping.”

Then:

“Entitled. Filmmaker Adeyemi Michael pays homage to his mother who traveled from Nigeria to England more than 30 years ago. Vibrant, joyful, colourful. People living with dementia may find this beautifully crafted, slow-motion film calming to watch and to listen to.”

And:

“Walks With Me. 80-year-old Sanna lives alone with her memories and houseplants. One day she looks out her window and sees something that reminds her of her friends. Reality and memories become intertwined as a playground game of ‘Statues’ or ‘Grandma’s Footsteps’ leads Sanna on a journey from childhood to old age. “People living with dementia may enjoy the ‘Statues’ game in this film and it may spark childhood memories for some viewers.”

* * * Eight of the newer featured films carry this dementia label. It turns out they’re part of a special partnership between Virgin Atlantic and the UK’s Women Over 50 Film Festival (WOFFF), which in June curated this selection of dementia-friendly short films. I know this because I just dove head-first into a rabbit hole, right here from seat 25D, London to Boston. Summer is a busy travel season, especially for families flying together, they said. The films are meant to make the inflight experience less stressful for dementia patients and those traveling with them. Wow. It’s so lovely. It’s so unexpected, this kindness. I imagine it’s such a gift for patients and caregivers. The entertainment console facing 25D feels like a tiny celebration of everything good in the world. People taking care of people. (In this case, on a few levels: Virgin/WOFFF taking care of the people… who take care of the people.) * * * So this is the thing that happened just now. And that’s what I wanted to share and why I decided to write. Well, in part. But there’s more. It turns out that MANY of the movie descriptions on Virgin Atlantic’s inflight entertainment are also thoughtfully described. Way less gut-punching than those of the dementia movies, yet still written with the same intention and compassion. Look at how Virgin describes a few movies:

“Upgraded: The kind of rom-com you watch on Sunday afternoon when you’ve had too much vino the night before.”

“The Creator: Not suitable for nervous flyers. An ex-special forces agent is recruited to kill an AI architect who has developed a weapon that could end humankind.”

“The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial: Much courtroom shouting… with the award for Best Bellowing going to [opens envelope] Kiefer Sutherland!”

“Sweet Dreams: Knoxville turns out to have serious acting chops in this comedy-drama, which is, as they used to say, ‘totes emosh.'”

I could go on. I want to. But you get the idea. * * * Funny. Relatable. Compassionate. All in the brand voice of Virgin Atlantic itself: cheeky, hip, vibey, a little flippant. (There is no award for “Best Bellowing” lol.) Yet very much keen on serving your needs, too. (The “not suitable for nervous flyers” bit.) Those movie descriptions feel like a person is right there inside the screen, whispering the recs to you in a conspiratorial aside. Cheeky and hip in that brand voice. But also… driven by a need to help and serve. To make things suck a little less. Don’t watch this if you’re already tense on a flight; watch this if you or someone you love has trouble following a plotline. And so THAT’s really what I wanted to say today. What we need in Marketing and copywriting right now is what I witnessed at Wembley and what this seat-back console showed me: tangible celebrations of everything good in the world. The most important moments to some people seem like no big deal to others. Who cares about an in-flight description? Who cares about Taylor Swift? Maybe not everybody. But somebody. And maybe that somebody needs a little compassion and humor. Maybe it’ll go a long way. Maybe it’ll seem larger than it is: A little kindness among strangers, traveling home.