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 definitely not cheap 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.)

Most meal kit brands riff on the idea of "you're busy, you're tired, here's tasty and healthy food, fast."

And to be fair, Gousto do it really well. And it works.

But it also means most of these brands end up kind of saying the same thing. They're selling variations on the same benefits, not making the customer feel seen.

But with these ads, Gousto wants to make their audience feel like "oh, this brand gets me".

(And they get to say something that stands out from the crowd.)

But it's not an ad that says "the meal kit for foodies" or "Feel like you're in an episode of The Bear every night."

That's telling, not showing.

(The Bear reference leans slightly toward showing, but shhh.)

Instead, by zooming in on a specific detail about cooking you'd only know if you're that kind of person as well, Gousto tell the customer (without telling them) that they're the brand that gets them.

That they don't have to choose between being a foodie home chef and a meal kit, because Gousto lets them do both.

And we know that people like to buy from brands that are like them.

It's wicked smaht.

So next time you need to write a headline, ask yourself: what's your customers version of an overflowing, underused spice cupboard? What's that big, super specific detail you can zoom in on that makes them think "oh yeah, this brand gets me"?

(If you're not sure, do a deep-dive into your customer reviews. There's stuff in there that is like copywriting gold-dust, trust us.)