Judging headlines and copy at The Next Web Conference 2024
The good, the bad and the ugly of startup messaging
We were half way into the first day of this year’s edition of The Next Web Conference, when I had an idea while speaking to my co-founders.
It occurred to us that the exhibition booths were the ideal representation of all the good, the bad and the ugly that we as marketers have seen when looking at the way companies choose to communicate their value proposition.
So I quickly whipped out my phone and set out on a mission to find, photograph and judge various headlines that companies proudly displayed above their booths.
Disclaimer: I have the utmost respect for any founder that puts themselves out there. And my rating their messaging in no ways reflects the actual value that their business delivers. This is just meant as a bit of fun!
With that out of the way, let’s get to it! (in no particular order)
Obodo - 8.5/10
“Rome was not built in 5 days but your MVP can be” — creative, funny and super clear on what outcome you can expect. “Concept to code. Deployed at hyper-speed” adds some practical details.
Very solid messaging, but they lose 1.5 points for the “hyper-speed” buzzword. It’s not necessary and actually makes a very creative headline that makes its point less good.
Deel - 8/10
I always say to the companies I work with that if you can’t be creative, at least be clear. It’s better to be clear and not creative than to be creative and unclear. Deel’s headline tells you exactly what they do (HR & Payroll - onboard, manage and pay workers), who they do it for (companies with global teams) and why you should choose them (compliant, all in one platform). It’s not going to win any poetry prizes, but it does the job and it does it well!
SymbioMatter - 8/10
The need for creativity in messaging also depends on what your business does. If you do something that nobody else does, you don’t need word-smithery to stand out. I don’t think they need to tell you that they’re a biotech company, that’s obvious and uses up valuable word count that I’d rather use on “who” they’re serving, but the message is still crystal clear.
Rinkt - 2.5/10
I’m so sorry, I feel like a mean school teacher or a washed up critic 🫣. But after 2 days of AI buzzword overload, I had to pick a scapegoat. I give them 2.5 points for no spelling errors, but that’s the best I can do. If I asked ChatGPT to come up with the most buzzwordy headline of all time I don’t know if it would do this well. Let’s break this down:
“Revolutionizing” - buzzword, not a fan
”Business operations” - such as?
”AI-infused” - what, like a herbal tea?
”Automation technologies” - ok this one’s fine, if a bit vague
”For superior performance” - superior performance in what???
I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what these guys do. I thought I’d check their website, but I got hit with a big “Supercharge your Business Automation” tagline.
…ok I asked ChatGPT to give me its most cringeworthy, buzzwordy version and it came up with “Unleash Unprecedented Synergy with Rinkt: Revolutionizing Efficiency in the Quantum Leap of Automation!” — so it could in fact be worse.
Politie NL - 3/10 or 8/10
Ok this is not really a headline, and the concept was fun. But does the national police really want to send the message that you can just escape from them? Maybe it’s meant tongue-in-cheek, in which case, brilliant. Somehow I doubt that’s the case though!
Coho AI - 7.5/10
We saw above how buzzwordy these AI companies can be so it’s refreshing to see a company take an original approach and not shy away from taking the piss a little. Plus, they managed to actually work their proposition into it! They only lose points because I didn’t really understand what they did from just reading the copy, and as a former founder from a similar space, I really should.
Amplitude - 7/10
Amplitude’s goal is to establish themselves as the leading analytics platform for product teams, and this copy does that. The message is clear and memorable, if a bit dry. Personally, I find the “™” a bit lame, especially because the tagline is not exactly super exciting. But if their goal is to present themselves more corporate-y to build trust in the enterprise segment, these choices make sense.
Ledger Leopard - 4/10
Sorry, but I have a hard time with the name let alone the copy. What does transparency and efficiency mean in this case? Maybe I’m too far from the whole crypto / NFT-bro world, but I’ve never heard of these guys, and unless you’re a globally known brand, you can’t get away with 3 generic descriptor nouns like this.
What do you do? Why does it matter? Whom are you selling to?
I tried digging deeper by checking their website and the sub-header reads “We are a Web3 technology leader able to provide custom government, healthcare and logistics blockchain solutions and we specialise in identification and supply chain solutions using our blockchain development services.” — it’s clearer but is all “We”-focused (what “we” do) rather than “You”-focused (what “you” get). This is probably the most common feedback we have for companies.
Lylu - 9/10
I was going to keep this focused on just b2b propositions, but this one really nailed it so I had to share it. Clear, simple, catchy and on-point. I know what they do. I know who they do it for. And I know why it matters. Well done 👏
Well there you have it! I hope I haven’t offended anyone. And if I have, don’t worry, we can help you with your messaging and positioning, amongst other things, over at —> thegrowthsyndicate.com 😉
By Ferdinand Goetzen