The most honest sign I saw in Norway

So last month my wife and I were strolling along the waterfront in Norway, and I spotted a sign so transparent it was jarring.

I couldn’t take my eyes off it. And it occurred to me that pitch writing would benefit from the same unexpectedly honest approach.

Norwegians are as great as the World Cup hype would suggest. We were in Alesund, heading to dinner after an otherworldly fjord tour, when we saw this:

Amidst being bludgeoned by thousands of hyperbolic marketing claims competing for my attention across nearly every physical and digital surface, the qualifier was captivating.

My mind raced:

Are Norway’s advertising laws stricter? Or are the owners just old-fashioned? Did a clever marketer do this on purpose to be ‘authentic?’”

Regardless, it worked on me. Are you the same way? When you encounter direct, forthright communication, does it stand out from the deluge of overly promotional wording?

Most journalists are wired that way. Think of it – all day they open emails that say, “New users are flocking to our best-in-class UX and singing our praises on social.”

What if yours was the email that said, “Our site just launched, so our user experience can’t compete – yet – with sites with more resources like Airbnb or Vrbo. But the one way we are different, which is why users are trying us out anyway, is our . . .”

I know, your initial reaction is that your marketing people might have a fit. But they also might be so sick of fake promotional language, they’ll hear you out and sign off on an experiment.

If you want to get noticed, go against the grain.

Back in Alesund, we chuckled as we shot the photo and then continued to the nice sit-down restaurant we’d picked. But after the hostess turned us away, guess where we ended up?

Okay, they probably weren’t the best in the world, but we’ve lived in the UK, so we have a high bar. Definitely great, though, and I felt very satisfied after rewarding the distinctive sign ;).