"Does exactly what it says on the tin"

 This week’s Pure Slogan of the Week is Ronseal’s “Does exactly what it says on the tin".

Ronseal, a wood stain paint and preserver, began working with ad agency HHCL in 1994 in an attempt to “de-mystify” the product and move away from marketing campaigns that Ged Shields, Ronseal’s then marketing director, felt were “trying too hard”.

Created by Liz Whiston and Dave Shelton, they decided not to use puns or elaborate creatives but to create something that was simple and straight to the point instead, much like the product itself, resulting in “It does exactly what it says on the tin”.

  

Initially, it was poorly received by the public and industry when sent out for market research.  Whiston and Shelton chose to trust their instincts and with Ronseal’s support decided to run the ad anyway.

Surprisingly the ad was a huge success; Ronseal saw an increase in sales and became a brand leader. “Does exactly what it says on the tin” is one of the rare examples when a slogan becomes bigger than the brand it’s promoting.  Also immediately after its launch, it was the focus of a number of spoofs by other brands, including an anti-smoking campaign and soft drink Irn Bru showing how influential it was from the beginning.

  

In the years since, the phrase has become a part of British pop culture and the vernacular. It was entered in to the Oxford Dictionary of Idioms. We love this iconic slogan because of how it was able to create something that is fresh and innovative out of a relatively simple idea, an example of great marketing.

@Ronseal

#PSoTW, #PurePoint, #NoNonsense