Vella Verbal Identity
Science in service of great sex.
When it comes to products to heighten sexual pleasure, has there ever been a time when women came first? Vella seeks to remedy that. It’s a topical serum that uses CBD to get a cis-woman’s body primed, poised and ready for the best orgasms of her life.
I crafted the verbal identity for Vella while I was at Character. As a new brand, in a rarefied field, that mattered personally to me as a woman, it was paramount that I get this right. In early kickoff meetings, and reiterated in positioning workshops, the Vella team often spoke about wanting their brand grounded in the science behind their product—and in the confidence that it works. This meant I could easily stay away from an icky space. And I’m not talking about sex, I mean talking about sex like a 1990s women’s magazine or old episodes of SATC. Vella and I were both happy to bypass "The Big O" lines for something much smarter and sharper.
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The Verbal Identity
I write so much stuff for tech (I live in the Bay Area), and a lot of that stuff is so amorphous. Vella is the opposite of that, rooted in a human experience that has been (hopefully) happening since the dawn of time. Because of this, I didn’t want to build the voice and tone on individual opaque attributes—but based on a human that embodied the brand’s spirit. I kept thinking about Joan Holloway on Mad Men, how her confidence felt like a color that filled every room. A self-assuredness in each line read. The dynamic snap in each of her mannerisms. A powerful sexiness that was rooted in intelligence. I thought if I were Peggy Olsen, I’d write this brand like it was Joan.
The Key Storyline
The key story that would lead the brand, “Power over your pleasure” felt like the thesis statement of the voice persona I built. I try to do that with every brand—the voice you make should naturally bring the key stories to life. Like, if you’ve got a really dark sense of humor, you might have a bit of a nihilistic key story that you live your life by. Or, if you’re self-assured with a powerful sexiness, having power of your sexual pleasure seemed spot-on for Vella.
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Tackling the More Serious Stuff
Vella didn’t want to let sexiness sideline the science behind their product. Crafting a story around Vella’s active ingredient CBD, and the precise delivery of it, meant flexing one side of our voice more—being engaging and assuring. I balanced a down-to-earth conversation about CBD with more in-depth writing about the steps of a woman's arousal process. The result was an expression that didn't just titillate but educated our audience as well.
The Takeaway
I’m good at emotive, humanistic writing. Topics that are rooted in real experiences and not in say … cloud experiences. If you’re similar, try to find opportunities with brands whose products and/or services are tied to human needs. It lets you mine your life for truth and see if something you think of as personal is actually universal.
Written by Marlena Ryan, Associate Creative Director, Copy at Media Monks
Credits:
Agency: Character (now Dentsu Creative)
Strategy: Lauren Wong
Vella Verbal Identity
Science in service of great sex.
When it comes to products to heighten sexual pleasure, has there ever been a time when women came first? Vella seeks to remedy that. It’s a topical serum that uses CBD to get a cis-woman’s body primed, poised and ready for the best orgasms of her life.
I crafted the verbal identity for Vella while I was at Character. As a new brand, in a rarefied field, that mattered personally to me as a woman, it was paramount that I get this right. In early kickoff meetings, and reiterated in positioning workshops, the Vella team often spoke about wanting their brand grounded in the science behind their product—and in the confidence that it works. This meant I could easily stay away from an icky space. And I’m not talking about sex, I mean talking about sex like a 1990s women’s magazine or old episodes of SATC. Vella and I were both happy to bypass "The Big O" lines for something much smarter and sharper.
The Verbal Identity
I write so much stuff for tech (I live in the Bay Area), and a lot of that stuff is so amorphous. Vella is the opposite of that, rooted in a human experience that has been (hopefully) happening since the dawn of time. Because of this, I didn’t want to build the voice and tone on individual opaque attributes—but based on a human that embodied the brand’s spirit. I kept thinking about Joan Holloway on Mad Men, how her confidence felt like a color that filled every room. A self-assuredness in each line read. The dynamic snap in each of her mannerisms. A powerful sexiness that was rooted in intelligence. I thought if I were Peggy Olsen, I’d write this brand like it was Joan.
The Key Storyline
The key story that would lead the brand, “Power over your pleasure” felt like the thesis statement of the voice persona I built. I try to do that with every brand—the voice you make should naturally bring the key stories to life. Like, if you’ve got a really dark sense of humor, you might have a bit of a nihilistic key story that you live your life by. Or, if you’re self-assured with a powerful sexiness, having power of your sexual pleasure seemed spot-on for Vella.
Tackling the More Serious Stuff
Vella didn’t want to let sexiness sideline the science behind their product. Crafting a story around Vella’s active ingredient CBD, and the precise delivery of it, meant flexing one side of our voice more—being engaging and assuring. I balanced a down-to-earth conversation about CBD with more in-depth writing about the steps of a woman's arousal process. The result was an expression that didn't just titillate but educated our audience as well.
The Takeaway
I’m good at emotive, humanistic writing. Topics that are rooted in real experiences and not in say … cloud experiences. If you’re similar, try to find opportunities with brands whose products and/or services are tied to human needs. It lets you mine your life for truth and see if something you think of as personal is actually universal.
Written by Marlena Ryan, Associate Creative Director, Copy at Media Monks
Credits:
Agency: Character (now Dentsu Creative)
Strategy: Lauren Wong