The Graveyard of Good Ideas

Every time a clever copy concept gets cut from a project, an Adobe XD comp gets its wings.

I’m not precious about my ideas. Ultimately, the copy has to be the right fit for the campaign, the audience, and the action or outcome the client wants to provoke. When it comes down to it, I’d rather turn my work inside out to get to something that works for my clients than fight to keep a clever turn of phrase that doesn’t tick all the boxes. Here are a few of my favorite ideas that ultimately got cut from client projects.

For a consumer tech client:

• Do you know all the things you can find online?  ‘Cause your kids sure do. Vintage arcade games. Giant vats of popcorn. Low-budget slasher films. Content filters let you customize your family’s internet access by device or by content category. 

• Real talk: you can’t remember your passwords anyway. [Name of product] auto-generates strong passwords for each of your accounts, so the only login you need is the one for your [name of product] account. Go ahead—forget those passwords.

• Who uses the most data in your family? Trick question, it’s the dog—his YouTube channel has two million followers and counting. 

For ANNA DinnerPlan:

I like to give my clients lots of options when it comes to titles, headlines, and taglines. Here are some of alternative titles I came up with for Mari’s live cooking classes.

• Crepes So Easy, You’ll Want to Make Them Every Week

• Ooh La La: Wow Your Mom with Homemade Crepes This Mother’s Day

• Biscuits So Delicious, You’ll Ditch the Canned Kind for Good

• Biscuits So Flaky, You’ll Want Them with Every Meal 

• These Crazy-Delicious Biscuits Are Totally Worth the Effort

• The Ultimate Steak Frites Will Make You Look Like a Kitchen Pro

• The Absolute Best Way to Cook Steak Frites at Home

• A One-Pot Pasta Dinner So Fresh, It Tastes Like Spring

• The Spectacular Italian Pasta Dinner That Comes Together in One Pot

• The Classic Genovese Pasta Dish Every Cook Should Have in Their Repertoire

• The Last Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe You’ll Ever Need

• Ooey, Gooey, Salty, Chewy: Decadent Chocolate Chip Cookies with Maldon Sea Salt

• The Weekend Donut You Can Make Without Changing out of Pajamas

• Donut Knock It ‘Til You’ve Tried It: Making the World’s Best Donut Is Easier Than You Think

• The Best Fish Tacos This Side of the Mexican Border

• Fresh, Fruity & Fast: Mari’s Best Baja Fish Tacos