Be Bold(er)
If your brand is reimagining the norm and outshining the mediocre with a product, campaign or whole identity, you need words that harmonise. Game-changers don’t lay low. They challenge, disrupt, and make people lean in. In a world of content overload, your copy needs to roar with a voice as bold as your vision…
Some brands don’t make it past water cooler chat. They play it safe, generic and keep it steady.
But you? You’re building a bold brand identity from scratch, or launching a product that colours outside the lines, or shifting into a fiercer gear.
The common challenge?
How do you get loud without scaring away your audience?
How do you cultivate connection above the competition?
Here’s the bottom line:
It’s 2025, and once-taboo conversations are now front and centre. We’re tired of polished profiles and air-brushed campaigns. We’re finally here with body positivity, gender fluidity, cultural appreciation, heritage pride, neurodivergent representation, period power and changing career at 60.
So it’s no surprise that people crave brands that dare - ones that celebrate real bodies, real identities, and real stories.
Are you ready to evolve boldly?
It’s difficult to know how you can be edgy whilst staying true to your foundations. Be daring without sounding like you’re jumping on a bandwagon.
How can you shift from being generic to generationally inspiring?
It’s clear that this isn’t an era for hiding behind stuffy boardroom language, watered down opinions or shame. This is an era for community, authenticity, going big or going home…Here’s how to get that message across.
Show Them You Get Them
If you’re reading this, chances are your brand doesn't squeeze into a box. Maybe you’re adding anarchy to wellness, or creating renegade travel itineraries, or experiences that rock the boat of conformity.
Whatever your playpit, you know your offer isn’t boring. The challenge is making sure you address your audience’s pain points in a personable, empathetic and empowering way.
Because here's the truth: being a bold brand isn’t just enthusiastically telling us about your product. It’s about listening to the problems your audience face, the emotions they feel, and letting them know you’re in their corner.
A great example is Bodyform’s campaign: 40 Words You Can’t Say For Vagina. They speak directly to the frustration women feel about censorship. If you’re a woman, you’ve probably experienced this stigma, so you immediately know Bodyform is on your side.
Playful, Positive and Authoritative
Imagine promoting a Pride event - rainbow flags flapping, drag queens heckling and Britney blaring - and then using terse or timid language. It just doesn’t equate.
If you’re smashing taboos (hell yeah), then you don’t want to sound like a shrinking violet. You want your words to leap off the page.
Language is power.
Bold brands need playful energy and positivity. Ditch the confusing jargon, the shy descriptors, and the professional, cold tone.
Be cheeky. Be warm. Be the essence of what you’re trying to sell.
One brand that holds no ambiguity in their tone, is sustainable toilet paper brand Who Gives a Crap. Their identity tells you: “We know we’re never gonna make this classy, so we may as well be fun.” The name alone makes you remember them.
Listen, Tease, and Show Vulnerability
Anarchy isn’t just shouting. If you want to build a brand that's exciting, fresh and daring, it’s always about connection.
That starts with listening.
Your audience is already telling you what moves them, what frustrates them, and what they crave. Dig out your reviews, social comments and even competitor pages to hear the words and phrases they’re using. Then turn it up to eleven.
Tease, wink and share openly about who you are and what you stand for. Vulnerability makes your brand relatable and attracts the right fluffy humans.
Addressing objections in your copy can be powerful too - like vegan milk brand Oatley, who brazenly plaster their packaging with “Is Oat milk Sh*t in tea?” then structure their response to persuade us: “erm no it’s delicious, actually.”
Make it feel Like the Next Chapter (Not a Plot Twist)
During my Stand-Up Storytelling phase, I learned that the moment I revealed my values and lessons behind the antics of the stories, my audience would nod, laugh, and sometimes, weep. In this drafty London pub full of strangers, I managed to stir emotion, command attention, and create an appetite for more.
Stories fuel connection.
I can’t emphasise enough the power of storytelling in branding. It’s the most effective technique to communicate with your audience who you are and why they should care.
If you’re truly on a natural progression of your mission, communicate it with a story. Authenticity isn’t about staying the same forever - it’s about evolving with honesty.
A great example is underwear brand, Thinx who advocate ‘body literacy’ through their copy: It’s time to shake the stigma.
For more on how stories build trust and make your audience root you, download my free Brand Storytelling Guide.
Time to Bring Your Audience Along
Being bold doesn’t mean you have to be reckless. If you’re ready to flip the switch or you’re still inching toward a louder brand identity - don’t do it alone.
The smartest brands in 2025 are inviting their audiences to be part of the journey. One example I love is sexual wellness brand Dame, who partnered with product users and Erotic Authors to write short stories about using their products, pleasingly named Toy Stories. It was a clever workaround for their lack of product reviews - since customers are intimidated to share something so intimate. Pure genius.
Keep your community on the inside. You’ll build trust, excitement, and loyalty in the process.
Recap:
In 2025: audiences are hyper-tuned into authenticity. The future belongs to brands who bring people with them, not brands who perform for them.
If you’re ready to be bolder, start with radical transparency. Share the why behind your shift - your values, your purpose and your ambition for what’s next.
Use storytelling to frame your rebrand or launch as the natural next chapter in your brand’s story.
Show integrity: make sure your actions, campaigns, and commitments line up with the promises you’re putting out there.
Make your audience feel like insiders, and they’ll not only accept your bold evolution - they’ll cheer it on.
