Loop & Tie and the Principle of Unity

In this issue you’ll see:

• The Loop & Tie headline (found in a LinkedIn banner) that caught my eye

• Why this 12-word headline is so powerful

• How to swipe this message’s superpower for yourself

Let’s dig in.

THE BREAKDOWN

12 seemingly simple words that unite Loop & Tie’s audience with their brand.

Here’s the copy in question:

Here’s what makes this copy work:

1) Leverages visual texture.

Right outta the gate, this copy opens with visual texture created with numbers and symbols. This helps the message catch the reader’s attention.

2) Applies a negative frame.

This copy is essentially saying “we do things differently” but the idea is framed negatively, which triggers the reader’s negativity bias.

This is the bias that focuses our attention on negative information and shapes our perceptions around the impact that the negative information may have.

(Basic Arts used the same technique in this subject line.)

3) Gets specific.

In just two short sentences, the reader sees plenty of specifics:

• I know we’re talking about corporate gifts.

• I know how many corporate gifts we’re talking about.

• And I can visualize where these corporate gifts are going.

All of ^ these specifics ^ combined work together to increase the message’s relevance and believability.

4) Uses “belonging” language.

The copy could read:

“40% of corporate gifts end up in landfills. Loop & Tie does things differently.”

Or…

“40% of corporate gifts end up in landfills. Loop & Tie won’t stand for this.”

Or a variety of other phrasings that center the conversation explicitly around Loop & Tie… but they don’t.

Instead, they use the phrase “Not on our watch.”

It’s the use of “our” which is so clever—it subtly creates a sense of belonging between the reader and the message. (And, by extension, Loop & Tie.)

And it’s this seemingly simple vocabulary choice that taps into a much deeper psychological concept…

THE PSYCHOLOGY

It’s you and me against the world.

If you’ve read Dr. Robert Cialdini’s Pre-Suasion, you may already be familiar with the persuasive principle of unity. If not, here’s how Cialdini describes this principle:

Let that last line sink in: we is the shared me.

The principle of unity directly ties into the widely studied in-group bias and out-group bias. For example, experiments show that in-group favoritism and out-group animosity can influence:

• Your preferences about public policy…

• How you perceive yourself compared to other generations (i.e. an extension of the Gen Z vs. millennial rivalry)…

• And what you are likely to share on social media.

In other words, these biases shape how we perceive others, how we feel about others and how we behave. We align our actions so that we prove our belonging to the in-group(s) we feel we’re a member of.

Now back to the Loop & Tie headline:

The copy positions Loop & Tie as “not like the other guys”—they’re defining the out-group.

(The “other guys” is actually not any group of guys at all but instead the way of gifting that creates needless waste.)

By defining the out-group, Loop & Tie implicitly defines the in-group—those who seek sustainable gift-giving options.

Loop & Tie’s copy works together to create a clear “out-group vs. in-group” moment of alignment:

You choose Loop & Tie because you’re aligned with their mission to make gift-giving sustainable and, by extension, reduce your carbon footprint.

This fundamental belief is something Loop & Tie and their customers share, which creates a sense of belonging and which will encourage their customers to choose Loop & Tie the next time they need to send a corporate gift.

THE ACTIONABLE TIP

Create your crowd.

Here’s the key strategy you can swipe:

Use your copy to create moments of alignment between you and your ideal customer.

Here are 2 simple ways to create a moment of alignment:

1. State how you’re similar. This involves labeling what makes your brand, your existing customers and your future customers similar. (To get started, you can use the framework: Like you, we’re {description of shared identity or belief}.)

2. Identify a shared enemy. This can be a little trickier to execute but it’s worth the effort. Take a page from Loop & Tie’s book and identify the enemy that’s the ‘old way’ or the ‘undesirable way’ of doing something. (This approach is less polarizing—and less problematic for your legal team—than naming specific companies or people.)