American Advertising Company
Denver, CO. 2020. I recently worked with my friends at Shanty Town Design* to revamp the website for the American Advertising Company (AAC). AAC creates custom branded merchandise for things like conventions, events, and employee swag. Think mugs, shirts, koozies… you name it, they do it. But it’s a bit more than that. Their goal is to create branded products that belong in your hand, not the trash.
I started by culling through their 30-page idea dump document and pulled only the best sentences and fragments. I let their strongest concepts create the tone, and I added a bit of direction, clarity, and refinement. “Don’t just give someone a bag. Give them their favorite bag.” That was them! Not too shabby, eh? I also created 3+ new company taglines for them, including their choice, “Brand Out From the Crowd.” Their copy functioned as an outline, my copy turned it into a story.
My main goal writing and editing their website copy was clarity. They wanted to simplify their message so prospective clients quickly and easily understood their services. Their original site used “promotional products” as a way to describe their work. Instead, I used “branded merchandise”—using “promotional products,” “promotional advertising,” and “promotional material” in other places to help with SEO. It gave them the succinct clarity they needed up front. My secondary goal was a cohesive voice and writing style. Something welcoming, friendly, trustworthy, and easy to understand. Oh, I should also mention they wanted an Americana theme. So keep your eyes peeled for references to baseball, denim, Springsteen... you get the gist.
See some questionable copy on the site? Drop me a line. Sometimes clients change stuff post-launch and it’s a little bit like, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. That said, I’d love to clarify if needed!
*Shanty Town Design is a full-service remote design department specializing in branding, digital design, and website creation. I highly recommend their services if you’re in need of a brand, design, or website overhaul!
