Food & Drink copywriting examples for ecomm & FMCG brands

Botivo

Botivo’s really clever positioning move

Jack doesn't drink, so he's seen his fair share of "all the flavour, none of the next day regret" messaging. What we <em>love</em> about Botivo's copy was that there's none of that. It's not <em>about</em> the lack of alcohol, it's just a drink that's perfect for drinking at the end of a long day that happens to be alcohol-free. Wicked smart.

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PerfectTed

PerfectTed’s dad joke LinkedIn annoucement

Look, we're absolute suckers for your traditional LinkedIn launch/listing post. As soon as we see that photo of the team outside Tesco or a founder saying "we've been dying to tell you this for months", our thumbs start twitching to hit the like button. It's pure feel goods. There's nothing we love more than seeing brands we've followed for a while winning. That said, we don't <em>hate it </em>when brands do something a bit different. And we love a good comedy gag. So no surprise that PerfectTed's Australia launch went straight in the swipe file.

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Days Brewing

Days Brewing’s clever messaging twist

Most alcohol-free brands define themselves by the lack of alcohol. "Drink without the hangover" and all that. Which is fine. But you're selling a compromise. (Which makes your life <em>really </em>hard.) Days don't do that. And it's great.

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Spudos

Spudos’ super honest eco copy

We're big fans of Spudos in general. But this bit of sustainability copy might be our favourite thing they've done.

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Jack Daniel's

Jack Daniel’s oh-so-readable tube ads

Reading Jack Daniel's ads while waiting for the tube to uni is what made Jack want to be a copywriter. So, as cliche as it is, we had to include one in here.

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Olipop

Olipop’s clever sneak diss

Problem-Agitate-Solution has been the dominant copywriting formula since the Mad Men days. Basically, identify a problem, stir the pot, present your product as the answer. We don't like it at all. Which is why we love Olipop's copy.

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Liquid Death

Liquid Death’s 🔥 opt-in copy

This is the first (but definitely not the last) bit of Liquid Death copy in the swipe file. And while lots of their other copy gets all the limelight, we're massive fans of this little bit of brand voice creeping in where other brands just have boilerplate.

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Minor Figures

Minor Figures’ banging pandemic email

Any email that opens with a Cheeky Girls reference immediately gets a spot in this swipe file for life. (Also acceptable: S Club 7, Ronan Keating or Ainsley Harriot references.) PS. The export went a bit wonky and doubled up some of their copy. Ignore that.

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Fix8

Fix8’s brand-building welcome email

Mid-pandemic, Jack toyed with the idea of packing up the copy life and starting a kombucha brand. Alas, that didn't end up happening. But we'd be lying if we said he doesn't still daydream about it at his desk from time to time. Anyway, we're big fans of Fix8's dedication to their brand message in this email. Really good stuff.

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Candy Kittens

Candy Kittens’ research-led OOH campaign

We'll be honest, we wrote Candy Kittens off at the beginning as just another celebrity brand flash in the pan. They've consistently proven that wrong, year after year.

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Wildfarmed

Wildfarmed banging menu copy

This might be the only bit of menu copy we've ever added to our swipe file. But man, is it good.

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Surreal

Surreal’s banging, non-discount abandoned cart email

We're not sure if this is entry 3 or 300 in the swipe file for Surreal. They just know what they're doing. It's like if Oatly and innocent had a baby and that baby was also really into consumer psychology. All bangers. All the time.

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Dash

Dash’s growing-up messaging

We added this in our swipe file (despite kinda missing the wonky voice they had before) because it's such a good example of a brand broadening their messaging post-product market fit to grow. And it worked really, really, <em>reallllly </em>well. They sold 4.9 million cans in July 2025 alone. Saw a 74% uplift year on year. They're on track for £60m+ retail sales in 2026. So we think they'll cope with us missing their wonky voice.

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Jubel

Jubel’s fantastic story page

We wanted to include a screenshot of the whole about page here, but it broke the swipe file. So we've included our favourite bit. (But suffice to say, their <a href="https://jubelbeer.com/pages/our-story">whole story page</a> is well worth checking out.) Properly authentic, honest and endearing founder storytelling. Love it.

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Allplants

Allplants’ super clever Veganuary campaign

According to <a href="https://www.stefjohnstone.com/#:~:text=Role:%20Across%20Campaign,record%20signups%20&%20reactivations.">Stef Johnstone</a> (the brains behind this campaign) the challenge was: "How do we excite people about vegan food when the word vegan comes with so much baggage?" And seeing as this January became our their biggest sales month, with record signups & reactivations, we'd say they smashed it. Love it.

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Living Things

Living Thing’s two-word banger

Jack is a big fan of fermenting stuff. And buying fermented stuff. (He usually has at least one weird experiment fizzing and bubbling away.) And while this ad might not be set the world on fire, we absolutely <em>love</em> that phrase "belly-loving". It's so deceptively clever. No notes.

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HaloTop

HaloTop’s guilt-free-free messaging

We <em>love </em>it when a brand voice is built around a clear stance on something. And HaloTop's early voice was built around a rejection of the very idea of guilt. Love it.

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Grind

Grind’s super-specific sustainability copy

We're massive fans of the way that Grind seem to nail walking that tightrope between a proper coffee roaster, sustainability powerhouse and accessible, on-every-shelf-in-every-shop coffee brand. On a messaging-level, that's a <em>really </em>tricky thing to juggle. And they absolutely nail it. This little detail in their FAQs might seem small, but it's a sign of a brand that absolutely knows what it's doing. No notes.

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Rubies in the Rubble

Rubies in the Rubble’s smart positioning copy

We've always felt a natural affinity with Rubies in the Rubble based on our shared love of the word "gooder". So it's hard to tell if we like this copy because it's genuinely good or whether it's because it feels written <em>specifically </em>for us. Either way, we're big fans.

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innocent

A classic example of the innocent TOV

<p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]">We ummed and erred about including this one, if we're honest.</p> <p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]">Because we're huge fans of what innocent did for brand voice.</p> <p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]">And this post has some genuinely brilliant copy in it. We love "the innocent department of seasonal straw-clutching".</p> <p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]">But the innocent-ification of brand copy is something that has us conflicted. Wackaging was the bane of the copy game for a good decade, and innocent is where it started.</p> <p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]">So. Buckle up for a nuanced take.</p>

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Pact

Pact’s *chef’s kiss* packaging copy

DWG would be nowhere without copious amounts of caffeine. Plus, we're <em>huge </em>fans of everything Pact do. And this tiny bit of copy on the back of their packet is so simple, but so good. No notes.

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Bol

Bol’s rhyming headline

This <s> 3-word </s> (Is lunch hour one word or two? Two? Two.) 4-word headline has two clever copywriting tricks going on beneath the surface. Plus, it's just plain fun to say. And we love it when food and drink brands go outside of the "tasty and fast" lane. Straight in the swipe file.

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KFC

KFC’s all-timer of an apology

The GOAT corporate apology statement? We think so. (We know this is in every copywriting swipe file known to man. Sorry. But a banger is a banger.)

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Goodrays

Goodrays’ clever positioning copy

Full disclosure: Jack bloody <em>loves </em>Goodrays. He drinks one pretty much every day. So it goes without saying that there's some proper bias going on here. That said, this is still some really clever work because Goodrays are a challenger brand competing against <em>another </em>challenger brand (Trip) that already have cornered a growing market. And the same time, CBD is still an emerging category. So they need to simultaneously say "we're a CBD brand" and "this is what CBD does" and "we're a bit like Trip" and "we're our own thing" all at the same time. And they absolutely nail it.

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Tony's Chocolonely

Tony’s Chocolonely’s banger of an activation

We're big, <em>big </em>fans of this Tony's activation in 2021. They set up a billboard in a shopping centre that was stacked with free full-size chocolate bars. Naturally, people helped themselves. And as the bars disappeared, it revealed a message that said: <em>"There's no such thing as free chocolate. Somebody always pays the price."</em> They got their product into people's hands <em>and </em>drove home their key message about exploitation in the industry <em>and </em>got a load of free press. Properly clever stuff. No notes.

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Graza

Graza’s playful disclaimer copy

We cut our copy teeth worshipping every word Innocent ever wrote. So of course we're suckers for silly little bits of microcopy like this. Also, mad props to Graza's team for publishing the line "elevated levels of sexiness when holding Graza bottles".

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Huel

Huel’s smart community naming convention

<p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]">Cards on the table: we're not the biggest fans of the term Hueligan.</p> <p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]">But when a brand has people wearing their merch in public, you can't really argue with the results.</p> <p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]">From the unboxing experience to their welcome email to the Idris Elba press release to their Reddit community, absolutely everywhere you go in Huel's world, you find an invitation to become a Hueligan.</p> And that's because they're not <em>really </em>selling meal replacements at all. They're selling an identity that you can opt into and say "this is who I am" to the world. Really clever stuff.

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Spudos

Spudos’ 10/10 brand story page

Let's face it, if you launch a brand because you love crisps <em>so much,</em> you've got two fanboys for life here. But crisps alone aren't enough to get you in the swipe file. What we loved about this was the really stripped back approach to their story page that made it <em>waaaay</em> more engaging (and fun to read) than most story pages we see. Plus, that crisp consultant line is too good. No notes.

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Bold Bean Co

Bold Bean Co’s distinctive brand language

We make absolutely <em>zero </em>effort to hide how much we love Bold Bean Co. (And not just because they sent us some beans once and they were <em>t</em><em>he shit</em>.) To take an ingredient that was almost looked down on as a cupboard staple and change the conversation around them so they're now seen as this boujee, gourmet, Nigella-ish ingredient <em>just through their words</em> is unreal. Too good.

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Surreal

Surreal’s banging generation effect Insta post

We're suckers for playful copy that's hiding just how clever it is. And this post from Surreal was the first time we noticed their oh-so-sneaky use of The Generation Effect. Straight in the swipe file!

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La Vie

La Vie’s A+ objection handling OOH ad

There's a handful of post-Oatly brands popping up that are taking that outspoken, playful and brave baton and running with it into new industries. And we <em>love it.</em> (For a while there, brand voice felt like a dying art.) And La Vie are one of those brands that are just killing it with their copy. They've run lots of OOH campaigns that we've loved. But this one is our favourite because it's just so goddamn clever.

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FeverTree

FeverTree’s 10/10 reframing move

We're suckers for copy that isn't just a good bit of copy, but that changes an entire industry in an instant. And in 2005, FeverTree did just that. This was pre-financial crisis <em>and</em> pre-craft boom and consumers were starting to trade up across the board. They were spending more on better coffee, better food, better wine... this idea that you could pay a wee bit more and get something significantly better was becoming mainstream. It was the very early days of the craft boom, basically. <p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]">And so, with customers happily paying £35 for a bottle of Hendrick's, FeverTree asked "why are people paying so much for good gin and then drowning it in cheap tonic water?".</p> And thus, this banger of an ad (and the whole thesis for their company) was born. Love it.

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Lucky Saint

Lucky Saint’s clever messaging judo

<p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]">Full disclosure: one half of this studio doesn't drink. So we've seen, read, and tried pretty much everything the AF beer has to offer.</p> <p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]">And most of it sounds like this: "so good you won't know it's AF." "You won't miss the booze." "Sober never tasted so good."</p> <p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]">And that's alright. Emerging categories have to do the inelegant hygiene work at the beginning before they can go bigger, we get that.</p> <p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]">But sometimes, this kind of copy accidentally puts the absence front and centre. And nobody is drinking alcohol free beer for what it lacks.</p> <p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]">Lucky Saint don't do that. And that's why this ad went straight in our swipe file.</p>

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Gousto

Gousto’s clever way to make customers feel seen

We've got another Gousto ad from this campaign going in the swipe file too. But this one was interesting because it a different approach than the usual "you're too busy to cook" angle that meal kits usually riff on. It speaks more to time-poor foodies than busy parents. That's super smart. Now, the real question is: is this in the swipe file because it's good copy or because Jack has a spice cupboard that is overflowing with <em>definitely not cheap</em> herbs and spices he needed to cook one meal three years ago and felt personally attacked when he read it? We'll never know. (It's definitely both.)

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Toast Brewing

Toast Brewing’s trick to get remembered

We love everything about what the legends at Toast do. (We were lucky enough to team up a few years ago on a couple of bits.) They brew beer out of leftover bread from bakeries. (It's really good, too.) Then they sell it and 100% of the profits go back to worthwhile causes. And their copy does a really good job at <em>always </em>staying on message. Love it.

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Overherd

Overherd’s pastiche challenger tone

OK, before we get into this one, we should say that we weren’t 100% sold on this bit of copy when we saw it. (And, to be honest, we’re still not completely, 100% sure now.) But it did catch our attention and spark a 15-minute back-and-forth between us, so we’re including it anyway. We mean, it's an entirely language-led ad. 4 thumbs up there. And it's a really good example of a post-modern, anti-marketing voice. Love that too. And it uses the Effort Heuristic to make the product seem more valuable. Super smart. So far, all good things. Smashing it. <em>Exceeeept…</em> <strong>The copy feels </strong><em><strong>very, very, very, very </strong></em><strong>Oatly-coded. And that's the thing our wheels got stuck on.</strong>

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Karma Drinks

Karma’s 5-word banger

This is Joe's absolute favourite bit of copy ever. And it's not hard to see why. On-brand, on-mission, a shot at their competitors and a 10/10 pun all rolled into 5 words? Nice. Very nice.

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Citizens of Soil

Citizens of Soil’s 3-word 10X tweak

We listened to a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ztnFqxaWldw">podcast with the Citizens of Soil founders</a> and had to get this bad boy straight in the swipe file. According to them, changing their headline to this <b>10x'd their D2C revenue</b> <em><strong>overnight.</strong> </em>Not bad, eh?

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Riddim Snacks

Riddim’s 10/10 use of patois

It’s <em>very </em>rare when we see a brand voice that feels<em> </em>original and immediately distinctive from the moment they pop up. But from the moment their ad that popped up on our feed, we knew they were going straight in the swipe file. A really, really well done brand voice that stands out, is authentic, is fun, is memorable... absolutely no notes.

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Ocado

Ocado’s *really* clever positioning play

This is a weird one to include in the swipe file because we are not fans of that "Everything Carrots" headline at all. That could work so much harder. And yet, the ad is still a banger <em>in spite </em>of the headline because it's so rooted in fully understanding how their customers shop. 9/10 (despite the headline).

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Brewdog

The Brewdog ad we (very reluctantly) love

If you've ever read anything we've written before, you'll know that we weren't the biggest fans of Brewdog out there. (Understatement of the year.) But even we had to reluctantly give them their dues for this one, because it's a genuine banger. So as much as it feels like agreeing with Piers Morgan, this bit of copy more than earns its place in the swipe file.

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Good Pair Days

Good Pair Days’ sneaky smart copy

For obvious reasons, we love a copy-heavy ad. And the first time we saw this ad, we both were massive fans of the fact that it didn't feel like a wine club at all. It wasn't that M&S-y voice of grapes and regions and terroir. Nor was it the Brewdog-ification approach of "We're not like other wine clubs". It just felt like a cool brand that was 100% sure of who it is. Straight in the swipe file!

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Surreal

Surreal’s cheeky “famous people” ads

In 2023,  Joe messaged Jack this message: "Mate, check out this cereal brand's copy. It's so good." We've been massive fans ever since.

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Collider

Collider’s objection-handling ad

We're big fans of brands that are comfortable sharing negative reviews and addressing them. (Especially as studies show that this approach can boost <a href="https://dowordsgood.com/how-to-nail-the-bad-review-trend/">CTR by 27%</a> and make people like and trust your brand more.) And Collider do a really good job of sharing something that's bold and hooky and then turning it into a strength. Nice one.

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Tesco

Tesco’s refreshingly honest ad copy

We absolutely love this ad. Imagine leading the meeting to pitch this idea. "Hey. Well, thanks for taking the time to meet with us today. We're thinking that we're going to tell everyone that our product is cheap and comes in an ugly can..." But this ad is so good because it's so brave and bold. But, even more importantly, it's based in <em>really, really </em>knowing how your customers think about your products.

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Karma Cola

Karma Cola’s 3-word mission statement

Karma Drinks wrote Joe's fav bit of copy of all time, so don't be surprised if they crop up a few times in this swipe file. And we know this one is probably the most obvious bit of Karma copy to include, but it was just too good to leave out. In just 3 words, they've managed to pack in their mission, give you a reason to buy their drink AND take a direct shot at their competitors, all with a wink and a smile. It's so, so good.

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