The exclamation mark.
A literal symbol of strong emotion.

And it’s no surprise we have a few of our own when it comes to its use.

Recognised formally as ‘the mark used after an interjection or exclamation to indicate strong feelings or show emphasis’, we’ve always felt that in branding, Mark Twain says it best: ‘an exclamation mark is like laughing at your own joke’. And in this case, the punchline just isn’t landing.

So, why the exclamation mark? Why in this Salem-esque punctuation witching hour is it not the semicolon standing trial? Or the hyphen? The thing with most punctuation points is that they facilitate a sentence without impacting it first-hand.

But not the exclamation mark! Point (distastefully) proven, this piece of punctuation is unique in its ability to change the delivery of a phrase and directly influence meaning; something only the all-powerful comma has in common. But there’s one core difference between the two — excitement.

The exclamation mark in its broadest comms application is used to pep up sentences, creating pieces of copy with hyper-positive overtones. And that’s exactly the problem. Because most brands who over-rely on exclamation marks are trying to produce a happy, engaging piece of writing. But what if we were to remove the punctuation that’s pulling the weight?

‘We’ve had a rebrand!’ becomes ‘We’ve had a rebrand’. ‘The latest outdoor oven!’ becomes ‘The latest outdoor oven’.

And it’s immediately obvious that there’s no substance behind these sentences at all — and that their impact couldn’t be further from what was intended by the writer. 

So if there’s no redemption arc for the exclamation mark, (spoiler: there isn’t), what can we do instead? Unfortunately, there’s no answer that’s as simple as a single key on your laptop. But there is a solution — write copy that's engaging in its own right.

Hone in on your audience’s interests, needs and motivations and go from there; using hooks that resonate deeper and allow your message to attract attention for the right reasons.

‘We’ve had a rebrand!’ becomes ‘We’ve had a rebrand. Who cares?’

‘The latest outdoor oven!’ becomes ‘It’s time to say RIP to the BBQ’.

And your brand becomes genuinely better for it in the long run. Ours certainly has.

That’s just about enough interjecting with strong feelings for one day!. Now back to our question-mark comfort zone.