“Professional” is Boring. Boring Doesn’t Sell.
There’s a reason Duolingo’s unhinged owl has millions of followers and legal firms with viral TikToks are getting clients. When everyone has the same tools, personality becomes the differentiator.
Beyond Meat’s Threads account is a perfect example. It posts completely off-topic, chaotic thoughts that read like they were written by someone who hasn’t slept in three days (sample post: “The goal of this account is not to promote products. The goal is for you to recognize our logo in the grocery store and ask yourself, ‘haha, I wonder if that little cow has been fired?’”). And that approach works. It’s weird, it’s human, and it stands out in a feed full of brands still trying to “optimize tone.”
And no, this doesn’t just apply to sexy direct-to-consumer brands. Museums, real estate agents, local government accounts and, yes, even pancake houses are growing audiences by being interesting, human and funny. Reacting rather than running it through a beta test.
