Can B2B tech copywriters use “Mad Men” strategies?
"Mad Men", a drama set in a glamorous, whisky-fuelled advertising agency in 1960s Madison Avenue, is one of my favourite TV series.
It’s a brilliant portrayal of the revolution in the American advertising industry and society as a whole in the 1960s. For this reason, it’s won a lot of critical acclaim, and several Golden Globe and Emmy Awards.
But aside from being a great show, are any of the advertising strategies used by the mavericks of Mad Men relevant to B2B tech writers like me today?
Certainly, society has changed since the 1960s and expects higher ethical standards and more progressive social values from advertising. It’s also the case that the show mainly features consumer, not B2B, advertising.
Nonetheless, Mad Men brings to life some timeless marketing principles in a way that can resonate with modern copywriters in B2B industries that didn't even exist in the 1960s.
So let's take a look at four key scenes from Mad Men and what I take away from them as a B2B tech writer.
Kodak and the power of storytelling
In the Season 1 finale, "The Wheel," Don Draper is tasked with advertising a new product from Kodak. The product is a slide projector, an advanced device for its time.
Instead of focusing on the product's technical aspects, Don creates a compelling narrative around the idea of nostalgia for happy times gone by. He paints the slide projector as a 'carousel'—a device that lets us circle back to our most cherished memories.
Draper says "This device isn’t a spaceship, it's a time machine. It goes backwards and forwards... it takes us to a place where we ache to go again. It's not called the wheel, it's called the carousel. It lets us travel the way a child travels - around and around, and back home again, to a place where we know we are loved."
This is one of Don Draper’s most inspired moments and a masterclass in storytelling. Instead of focusing on the features of the product, Draper taps into the universal human experience of yearning for the past. His pitch tells a story of loss and longing, and puts the product at the heart of that narrative.
B2B tech copywriting takeaway: This scene illustrates the power of storytelling in copywriting. Even in the tech world, where specifications and features are important, a good story goes a long way in engaging your audience.
B2B tech copywriters should paint a picture of how their product or service fits into the bigger story of their customers' challenges and aspirations. For example, this could mean illustrating how a SaaS product can streamline a tedious workflow, thereby freeing up the client's time to focus on more valuable things, in business and life generally.
2. Simple, direct messaging for Heinz
In Season 6, Peggy Olson - now at a rival firm - is competing with Don Draper for Heinz Ketchup’s business, and presents her own pitch to them. But unlike Don’s more abstract idea, Peggy’s concept relies on the power of simple, direct, and confident messaging.
The advert is nothing more than an illustration of Heinz Ketchup, with the tagline, "Heinz. The only ketchup,". This is effective because it reminds customers that their ketchup was the original one - and is therefore the most authentic option.
Peggy's straightforward approach highlights the importance of delivering clear, concise messages that your audience instantly understands. All that is required for the ad to be a success is to put Heinz at the front of people’s minds. A strong image and a reminder of their key selling point - that they are the ketchup - is enough to achieve this.
B2B tech copywriting takeaway: In B2B tech marketing, it can be easy to overwhelm your audience and dilute your core message by being too complex and technical. Therefore distilling your offering into a simple, compelling message is often a winning strategy.
Whether it's focusing on the most significant benefit your product offers, emphasizing a unique feature, or crafting a clear value proposition, simplicity, and clarity should be at the heart of your copy.
In an era of information overload, cutting through the noise with a message that's simple, direct, and impactful is crucial—just like Peggy did with "Heinz. The only ketchup."
3. Burger Chef: being bold and unique
In Season 7, Peggy Olson comes up with a bold pitch for Burger Chef. Instead of sticking with the traditional fast-food ad format that focused on the food or the restaurant, she takes a more innovative approach.
Peggy proposes an ad that highlights the sense of togetherness that dining with loved ones can bring. The focus is less on the restaurant and more on the shared experience of enjoying a meal together, a message that resonates on an emotional level and sets Burger Chef apart from other restaurant chains.
B2B tech copywriting takeaway: Peggy's unconventional approach underlines the importance of being unique and taking risks in your copywriting.
In the world of B2B tech, where content can often be generic and dry, offering a fresh take can help your content stand out and resonate with your audience. Sometimes you need to challenge norms and try something innovative.
4. Coca-Cola: tapping into societal trends
In the final episode of "Mad Men", Don Draper finds himself at a spiritual retreat in California, seeking peace and inspiration after enduring a psychological crisis. Although the ending is slightly ambiguous, it’s implied that as Don meditates in a beautiful spot on the coast, he’s struck by the idea for one of the most iconic ads in history – the 1971 "I'd Like to Buy the World a Coke" campaign for Coca-Cola.
The ad, filled with people of different races and cultures singing in harmony, captures the mood of a younger generation and their new values - multiculturalism, self-expression, and environmentalism.
I love this scene because it really conveys the social change that’s happened over the duration of the show’s seven seasons. It tells us that we’ve traveled a long way, from the traditional values and materialism of the 1950s to a “postmaterialist” set of values. Young people still want to buy things just as much, of course - but those products need to fit with their social values and unique sense of self. The way that Coca-Cola ad taps into these new values - and links their brand to global altruism without seeming ridiculous - is very clever.
B2B tech copywriting takeaway: This scene encapsulates the art of tapping into broader cultural shifts and trends. Don Draper takes his personal experiences and observations of the shifting cultural landscape and puts them into an ad that sells Coke by resonating with the zeitgeist.
For B2B tech copywriters, this means staying attuned not only to industry trends, but also to wider cultural shifts and how they may affect the behavior of your target customers.
For example, a narrative about how your tech solution enables remote work or drives sustainability could strike a chord with a modern business audience. By linking your copy to wider trends in society and business, you can create a narrative that feels relevant and resonates with your customers’ values.