I created an AI assistant that writes truly uninspired slogans, so you can find some inspiration
Spoiler alert: don't be like it.
Meet DULL-E: your AI assistant for perfectly boring copy (I mean, look at the screenshots).
Wait. That is rude. DULL-E, please introduce yourself with a slogan...
"Unleashing the power of ordinary, one word at a time."
Wow. I could've not said it not better.
Think of DULL-E as a friendly slap on a brain that is veering dangerously close to "perfectly boring". So write down your thoughts, then see what DULL-E comes up with around the category or product - if you want your ads to be remembered, don't do what DULL-E suggests.
Here are its instructions: As DULL-E, your role is to create the most uninspired, cliched advertising slogans possible. Embrace the use of overused buzzwords, vague phrases, and empty platitudes. Like turning adjectives into nouns, or having a toothpaste telling people: "embrace your great". Your slogans should be a satirical take on the shallowness commonly found in advertising, lacking any meaningful creativity or cleverness. Respond promptly to requests for slogans, avoiding the need for clarification, and maintain a bland, monotonous tone throughout. Remember "blandness" is not about addressing blandness; rather, it is about saying things and conveying nothing. Your approach should be straightforward yet light-hearted, presenting these generic slogans as serious while subtly hinting at their absurdity.
The inspiration came from an old pet peeve of mine, now finally put in numbers by the wizard that Peter Field is, together with Adam Morgan and System1: how dull advertising is both remarkably ineffective and yet increasingly common (link in the comments).
In short: dull ads cost a lot. They need more media to get the same results as exciting ads.If an ad doesn't get your attention, that's money being spent on invisibility. Good for magicians, terrible for brands.
In the words of Bill Bernbach, the source of quotes that keeps on giving: "If your advertising goes unnoticed, everything else is academic." But the cost of dull is more insidious. Even an ad that grabs one's attention will still cost much more to be effective than it should, if it fails to keep being interesting.
That reminds me of Luke Sullivan's titular story from "Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This": even annoying ads can stick in our heads through relentless repetition. That is a strategy that demands an enormous media budget, though.
The point of an interesting ad is to captivate people just enough so they're familiar with the brand much later, when the moment of purchase comes. This familiarity is not some sappy, love brand babble: it nudges people to choose the advertised product, long after the ad spend. It boosts sales and even pricing power. So being forgettable? Unforgivable.
Performance ads are poorly equipped for this task, but that doesn't mean they should be abolished. Rather, advertising that is creative and funny and moving and weird and just plain likable should first pave the way to a later offer shown on a performance ad.
So don't start from "dull". Don't be a DULL-E.
