"Stop trying to be clever."
Four words that made me want to punch my mentor in the face.
I'd just spent three weeks crafting what I thought was the perfect campaign for a fintech client. Witty headlines. Creative angles. Metaphors that would make Don Draper weep with joy.
The campaign flopped. Hard.
CTR was 0.2%. Conversions were basically non-existent. I was convinced the audience just "didn't get it."
That's when my mentor delivered those four brutal words.
The Story That Changed Everything
This was 2019. I was working with a B2B SaaS client who sold accounting software to small businesses. Their old ads were boring but converting at 3.2%. I was convinced I could do better.
My "creative" approach:
Headlines like "Don't Let Your Books Become Horror Stories"
Ad copy that compared spreadsheets to "digital quicksand"
Landing pages that read more like poetry than sales copy
The numbers told a different story:
CTR dropped from 2.1% to 0.2%
Cost per acquisition went from £47 to £312
The client was (rightfully) furious
I kept insisting the market would "warm up" to the messaging. That we just needed to "educate" them on why our approach was better.
My mentor sat me down and said: "Liam, your job isn't to win creative awards. It's to help your client make money. Stop trying to be clever."
The Lesson That Actually Matters
Here's what I learned, and it's saved me (and my clients) hundreds of thousands of pounds since:
Clarity always beats creativity.
The best marketing feels almost invisible. It doesn't make you go "wow, that's clever." It makes you go "yes, I need that."
My failed fintech campaign was all about ME looking smart. The boring ads that actually worked were about the CUSTOMER feeling understood.
After that wake-up call, I rewrote everything:
"Get Your Accounting Done in Half the Time" (not "Escape the Spreadsheet Dungeon")
"See Exactly Where Your Money Goes" (not "Illuminate the Shadows of Your Finances")
Simple benefit statements instead of creative analogies
The results after the rewrite:
CTR bounced back to 2.8%
CPA dropped to £41 (better than the original)
Client renewed for another year
The Framework I Use Now
Before I write any copy, I ask myself three questions:
Does this make the benefit immediately clear? If someone skims this in 3 seconds, do they know what's in it for them?
Would my mum understand this? If the language is too clever or industry-heavy, regular humans won't get it.
Does this sound like something the customer would say? The best copy uses the customer's own words, not marketing-speak.
I still catch myself trying to be clever sometimes. We all do. But now I have a filter for it.
The irony? Once I stopped trying to impress people with my creativity, my results got so much better that clients started calling my work "brilliant."
Turns out the most creative thing you can do is make your customer money.
What's the most "clever" marketing idea you've had that completely backfired? I'm collecting war stories for a future post about why simple usually wins. (I read every single one you tag me in on LinkedIn)
All the best,
Liam