Copy Talk: Dbrand Shows Us How Good Writing Is Done

“Okay, Edify, you told me I need a writer and that costs me money. Is there really a difference between what I throw onto my site and something by a writer?”

Why yes. Yes there is.

Today I want to walk you through a website that will make most writers swoon. It may not be your cup of tea, and that’s okay. Your brand does not have to be snarky to have good content (though we definitely love some well-deployed snark). You do not have to copy them, and their tactics are not the only way to success, but you can take a page from their book in terms of strategy.

Introducing: Dbrand.

Here’s exactly what dbrand does right with their copy:

• They have a distinct brand voice

• Their voice and content is tailored to their target market

• The content is more engaging than a simple “Buy Now” and bullet list of features

• Reading their site is enjoyable

Let me walk you through the specifics, using their iPhone Grip cases page as my primary example.

Some boring companies might say that this About paragraph doesn’t properly outline the features and benefits of the company and/or product. But this copy clearly speaks directly to their target audience (and they get into features/benefits as soon as you scroll down). 

Here’s what we can infer about their target audience based on this page:

• Young-ish: Boomers and older don’t generally appreciate snark. Gen Xers and younger generations generally do

• Politically aware, maybe not politically correct: They touch on ironic corporate greed, military spending, corporate spending, and insult your physique. This spans a wide political spectrum but hits the aware-but-not-necessarily-PC crowd right in their wallets

• Probably male: This overlaps with being young, but dbrand has collaborated with well-known YouTubers in sports and tech. I don’t have demographic data on all these segments, but my hunch is that they skew male. (My hunch is confirmed: a Linus Tech Tips user poll shows that the audience is 91% male.) One look at the aesthetics of dbrand’s items also indicates they skew heavily male, though their new pastel line indicates they may be looking to broaden their reach. 

This copy will speak to that audience immediately. They will appreciate not just the dig at corporate greed, but also the self-deprecation in dbrand’s acknowledgement that they are just like the evil megacorps, but they also have the perfect phone case that happens to be for sale. And on Twitter, they insult their followers, and their followers thank them for it.

There is also a clear CTA right at the top of the page: “You should buy it” and a button to buy it, no scrolling required.

The next section starts to get into features, and their top feature is “clicky buttons.” Many competitors try to sell you first on looks or perhaps protection, but they’re going straight for the tactile. Bad buttons are the worst. 

Naming button feel as a key feature shows that dbrand values attention to detail without saying “Attention to detail.” Here’s why that’s important: Practically every company likes to brag about their unparalleled customer service and attention to detail. It’s become so ubiquitous that saying those things is meaningless. 

Dbrand goes the route of “show, don’t tell.” They show us that they value even small things like how the buttons feel. Also who doesn’t want to be a button scientist? I’m not the only person who uses keyboard feel and sound as a major factor in computer shopping, as it’s a major talking point in laptop reviews from big tech YouTubers, like the ones dbrand collaborates with. 

Drop protection and military-grade impact resistance are common features in many phone cases. Dbrand demonstrates that they offer feature parity with competitors, but does it in a far more amusing way than the standard “Drop protection from six feet.” They also make something arguably overpriced seem justifiable. Checkmate, Obama.

Again, they’re listing common features most people take into consideration, but they do it with some insulting panache. And much like the honey badger, they don’t care if you don’t get it or don’t like it, because their brand stance is clear and appeals to their target audience.

I must stress once more that whether you like what they have to say or not is irrelevant, because they keep people reading and give personality to something as simple as phone case features.

Does your website copy seem really milquetoast? We can help. We are anti-milquetoast.

Look at an example from one of dbrand’s competitors, OtterBox:

If we omitted every mention of OtterBox, you would never know which brand we were talking about — it’s generic and crushingly boring. 

Here’s another competitor example:

Who are they? No idea. Would you even bother trying to find out more about their cases? The value propositions for both these competitors are essentially the same: Look good without worrying about breaking your phone. How can you tell them apart?

According to their Twitter, dbrand’s value proposition is, “overpriced electronic tape that looks cool.” The first thing people will think is, “I want my electronics to look cool.” When they see that dbrand offers feature parity (because they will keep reading and enjoy it) and they identify with the brand voice, their money has left their wallets.

Importantly, they carry their voice over to their email list:

Is anyone else super tired of boring “accept our cookie policy” or “please confirm your email address” notifications? I think dbrand is too — lawyers are the only winners. 

Let’s wrap this up. Am I here to just fawn over this copy? Yes, but also no. Some agencies or writers, or even you yourself, might think that no one wants anything cutesy or snarky. And that may be true of your audience. But that doesn’t mean your content should be devoid of personality. 

No one wants another boring website that says nothing. If you’re honest, you probably don’t either (and if you do, you shouldn’t hire us, because we are anti-boring). Again, it’s not about snark. You don’t even have to be funny. But you absolutely should be interesting, and your brand should sound like your brand and not every other generic competitor out there.

Not only do we here at Edify Content possess the ability to create content that speaks to your audience, remains authentic to your brand, and is enjoyable to read, we want that for you, and we want to help you. Drop us a line, we’d love to hear from you and help you be the next brand we feature in Copy Talk. 

You can also hit us up on Twitter with your favorite examples of good writing (or even better, examples of really terrible writing).