27 Jul 2011

Pret - good copy bad copy

Had a bite to eat in Pret the other day, and was taken with the packaging of their own-brand food - clearly a lot of effort had gone into it. It's clear and makes its point concisely, but still adding those buzzwords: "lovingly", "fresh", "natural". "Made today, gone today" is a neat and elegant little phrase too.


In contrast, this - on a bag of low-fat popcorn from a different manufacturer - is just a mess. The first sentence is weak, utterly uninspiring. And the second paragraph aims for enthusiasm, but really - are they the first people to describe making food as an art form? If they'd just said "Making popcorn is an art form", I'd never have responded "well that just sounds ridiculous", I'd have thought "well, I suppose there's a lot you have to get right".

And then there's this pathological obsession with crisps, mentioned FOUR times on the packaging. It made me want to eat a bag of crisps, quite frankly. Oh, and what's the "hybrid stuff" when it's at home? What are the one thing and the other that sailing camp at Bosham aren't? What is any less "industrial" about mass-produced popcorn? It's not as though individual kernels taste different.

So, when I'm feeling peckish, I'll eat what the hell I like, thank you very much.

(they were quite tasty though)

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