Meta ads have become an experimental playground — in the best possible way. 

Marketers and brands are getting creative with ad imagery and visuals, continuously playing with concepts and pushing the boundaries. Brands are constantly finding new ways to get seen, grab attention and genuinely win the hearts of their audience, and this innovation is inspiring to observe and participate in.

But in the midst of thoughtful marketing techniques and careful brand-building, why is there such an abundance of Meta ad copy that completely lacks brand personality? Why does the language so often veer off-track and off-brand when every other aspect of their marketing mix has been meticulously strategised, developed and curated?

‘Stylish.’ ‘Functional.’ ‘Elevated.’ ‘Ready to learn more?’ ‘Now’s the perfect time.’ ‘‘Experience the difference today.’

Besides the simple-but-obvious answer of careless AI generation, the truth is that the power of brand voice is being widely ignored on the platform. Copy and captions become an afterthought — when verbal identity should be leading the conversation. 

Why is ad copy falling completely off brand?

Off-brand Meta ad copy is effect I’ve researched, commentated on and publicly rewritten many times over, but it never fails to confound me: I’ve clicked through many generic-sounding ads to find expertly-crafted website copy that would draw the audience much closer to purchasing than their personality-lacking counterparts. But still, the brand chooses to push the off-brand voice in their paid advertising. Where is the disconnect coming from? 

For the sake of conversation, I’ve developed a few theories.

First, Meta ad platforms encourage constant change. In the name of continuously capturing scrollers’ attention, brands are persuaded to switch up their copy, content and creatives to win attention in new ways. Ads that stay on replay for months can become increasingly ineffective. This fast-paced nature leads to quickly-churned copywriting, particularly when voice is not valued or prioritised by the brand.

Second, copywriting seems to be undervalued by some. Distinct brand voices, recognisable taglines and unique tone have become want-to-haves, not must-haves, in many cases. With a long list of marketing responsibilities to focus on, tone of voice becomes something that is typically phoned-in. While it’s occasionally understandable to laser-focus on cost-per-clicks and conversion rates across individual assets and ads, brand voice is a long-term identity piece that comes into play over the lifetime of the business. Lacking personality comes back to bite.

Third, there is often a physical disconnect between brand strategists, in-house marketing teams, and the contractors and agencies who perform digital marketing services for them. This is evidenced by the off-brand copy effect extending to other often-outsourced platforms such as email marketing. Far too often, these third-party teams employ junior copywriters to write captions on ads — making it an afterthought rather than ad-leading strategy. Somehow, this can even cause beautifully executed lines that live across the brand’s marketing material to be ignored in favour of something unrelated and developed from scratch. In this case, the gap between brand voice strategy and on-the-ground execution needs to be bridged (something my signature copy-deck services aim to help solve).

Copy’s contribution to customer experience 

As marketers, we know the buying journey should be thought out and well-executed: how do we create awareness within the right audience? Which creative concepts attract customers to our brand after they become aware? How do we move them to make that first purchase? Then, how do we bring them back for more? 

There is no doubt that the verbal, visual and sensorial experiences delivered to the customer determine whether or not they choose to come on this journey with your brand. Consistency in which messages are chosen and shared becomes essential — consider how Puma’s global marketing executive leads the brand’s advertising department with an ethos of few consistent messages, rather than many, otherwise it would dilute the impact of their communications. 

When off-brand copy suddenly enters the equation, the customer experience becomes disrupted. Whether or not the customer consciously understands it, they could suddenly be turned off by the variation in messaging, language and tone. 

For example, someone may be near-ready to purchase the fluffiest, most luxurious, hotel-feeling bedding set they’ve seen online — one that they’ve kept in mind every night as they crawl into bed — but then, one day, they’re served a paid ad stating this set is perfect for summer, because it’s not too warm. The purchase-ready reasons in their mind dissipate in that moment of confusion: ‘I thought it would be a comfy, snuggly experience, but it’s actually just a light duvet for hot weather?’

Rather than spending time wading through conflicting information, most would-be customers simply move on. 

Sometimes the effects are more vague. A customer may be near-ready to buy into the jewellery brand they perceive as trend-leading and cool; all touchpoints with the brand thus far have been perfectly Pinterest-esque. One day, they’re served an entirely off-brand ad with generic ‘buy it now’ language, rather than the inspiring it-girl attitude they typically see — and their positive perception of the brand wavers and fades. Another aesthetically-pleasing or aspirational brand could arise to take its place. 

Some would argue it ‘doesn’t matter; it’s just copy’ — but brand is about feelings, not numbers. It comes down to whether or not you can use your words to light a fire in customers’ hearts and win them forever — whether it’s because they feel connected, they think the brand is cool, the ‘vibe’ feels aspirational, or it represents who they want to be. Brand ‘vibe’ and overall atmosphere is not completely tangible, but that’s no reason to discredit its effects. 

It’s a brand-building concern, not just a copywriting one 

At its core, the trend is not new. Polarising opinions on the importance of brand have always existed in the marketing world. Some marketers lean towards in-the-moment analytics, measurable clicks and revenue results, while others keep their focus on long-term vision and brand strategy — which is great, because businesses need both types.

But when it comes to ecommerce, the trend has emerged in a new way: many businesses exist to sell products, not build a lasting brand. That means the world of ecommerce has been distinctly split in two: the first set being those who meticulously develop and formulate their own products from scratch, then extend this originality and creative brand-building into every corner of their marketing mix. The second set are those who white-label existing products and operate with a ‘good enough’ approach. 

Why is this happening? I believe it’s because the power of brand is not measurable. There’s no analytic that shares how worthwhile your logo design investment was; nor how well a certain website tagline spurs the customer into action, leading them to stick with a brand for decades. Results like these would typically be attributed to an effective SEO strategy or an email marketing campaign that worked well. Rarely can we clearly see how the brand that underpins everything we do contributes to the success of these individual marketing endeavours.

So, for founders and marketers leading these brands, it all comes down to which sort of brand you want to build.

Those aiming for loyalty, long-term success and true legacy should place brand identity, and therefore brand voice and copywriting, as must-haves — ideally before launch, so you can focus on growing your brand, not creating one as you go.

Those aiming for a few short-lived years of clicks, conversions and quickly-forgotten products can operate with copy as nothing more than an afterthought. 

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Written by Taryn Rapp of Lovenote