I stumbled upon a site this morning that offers a great example of the vital role copywriting can play in the creation and marketing of a certain brand.

Help Remedies is a funky upstart health products company. That’s a weird sentence to write, because very few people go shopping for bandages or headache pills looking for something “funky,” or finding themselves falling prey to hip packaging or coolness. But that didn’t stop Help Remedies from introducing bandages (called “Help I’ve Cut Myself” — really) and acetaminophin tablets (called “Help I Have a Headache”).

Other than the quirky names, these over-the-counter products stand out from the crowd because: 1) the packaging is simple and well-designed; 2) the products and packaging are ecologically sound; 3) the philosophy of the company seems to be genuinely grounded in ethics and generosity; and 4) the people at Help Remedies are a little off-kilter, as evidenced by the subtle, weird humor on its website.

Some direct quotes…

On their packaging:
“Many companies enjoy packaging their goods inside nasty materials covered in gaudy graphics. That’s because many companies are controlled by crazy people.”

About their next-generation bandages:
“They are best for minor cuts, and blisters, so if your injury is bleeding everywhere, you might want to use something else.”

About the importance of ethical manufacturing:
“In fact right now all our products are packed together at a factory in Upstate New York which help adults with learning disabilities. They have promised to employ us if our company goes down the tubes.”

Whether you care about colloidal bandages or not, go click around their site. It’s simple, friendly, and way funnier than a medical goods website should be. They’ve sold me on the products just because the copywriting is so good. Without it, they’ve got an interesting product. With the great writing, they’ve got a cool, interesting product — and they’ve got my attention. I will remember this product. That’s the difference.

Somebody had to write that stuff, and whoever it was did a bang-up job. I’m impressed.

Bored? Check out the Help Remedies page “Help I’m Bored.” You will be happy you did.