Emily Lyhne-Gold ← All work
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Cuckoo

Award winnerWomen in MarketingCopywriting · 2024

Lead Creative & Copywriter

Cuckoo ‘ridiculous cultural idea’ ad – your broadband (Joffrey, Jar Jar, Wormtail) vs our broadband (Bolt, Thurman, Schwarzenegger)
Cuckoo ‘Imagine broadband that doesn’t make you go urrghh. That’s us’ email
Cuckoo ‘Ridiiiiiiiiculously fast full fibre speeds’ yellow billboard
Cuckoo paid ad – Wi-Fi feeling aaaargh
Cuckoo ‘Broadband, done better’ OOH – Gardens, done better with gnomes
Cuckoo paid ad – when outside is urgghhh but inside is ahhh
Cuckoo ‘Broadband, done better’ OOH – Working from home, done better with trackies
Cuckoo ‘Broadband, done better’ OOH – Lunchtimes, done better with cocktails
Cuckoo banner ad – your massive p…df in seconds
Cuckoo social – ‘Broadband so fast it makes the speed of light look lazy’
Cuckoo ‘Broadband, done better’ OOH – Birthdays, done better with caterpillars
Cuckoo tone of voice guidelines — ‘Full of beans’, the Vibe trait
Cuckoo ‘Broadband, done better’ billboard in situ – Statues, done better with silly hats
Cuckoo social – ‘Broadband that comes with aaall this’

‘Broadband, done better’ concept and campaign

As a more established challenger brand, Cuckoo was calling out for a brand identity refresh. I wrote and developed our new brand positioning, ‘Broadband, done better’ – a conceptual system that captured our rallying cry for higher standards. It called out what the industry got wrong, while positioning Cuckoo as a brand that does broadband properly – not by being the cheapest or the biggest, but by doing things better where it matters.

I then brought that positioning to life across the brand, developing the manifesto, messaging architecture, creative campaign concepts and Tone of Voice, in close partnership with our Art Directors.

In 2024, I was really chuffed to win a Women in Marketing Copywriting Award for this campaign.

  • OOH
  • Digital
  • Radio
  • Social
  • CRM

YouTube & UGC

I wrote and developed multiple YouTube and UGC ads – from script through to feedback. These were inspired by current frustrations with the broadband industry, and how we solved them through our USPs – amazing customer service, fair pricing, fast full fibre speeds.

Star Wars-themed concept & creative

For Cuckoo’s 2024 company event, I helped turn a corporate gathering into a full-blown space opera. The idea cast Cuckoo as a rebellious broadband force taking on the industry giants — Sky’lar, EE-2E, BT-3PO and Virginoid. The concept ran across a reworked Cuckoo logo, branded drinks tickets, planetarium signage and a parody of the iconic Star Wars opening crawl — still one of the best things I’ve ever had the joy of writing.

Watch on YouTube →

Cuckoo Star Wars event — ‘This isn’t your usual team event. It’s a rogue one.’
Cuckoo Star Wars event — planetarium signage, ‘Celebrating the stellar achievements of our team’
Cuckoo Star Wars event — branded drinks tickets, ‘Admits one flock member to a truly stellar event’
Cuckoo Star Wars event — ‘Luke’ name card
Cuckoo Star Wars event — ‘Skywalker’ name card

‘Proper Eggy’ brand guidelines

From manifesto to mission, 3D worlds blurb to Tone of Voice, I crafted Cuckoo’s ‘Proper Eggy’ brand guidelines for all the world to see. This included a conceptual writing framework, ‘Writing in Yellow’, plus messaging guidelines for style, structure and vibe. And, in proper ‘Cuckoo’ fashion, we launched these on an external website – so anyone can see how we write, design and think. These guidelines were submitted for a D&AD Yellow Pencil award under the category of Brand Strategy, 1–249. Find them at propereggy.com.

Proper Eggy guidelines — How we sound / Writing in Yellow
Proper Eggy guidelines — Oh hello / How we’re different
Proper Eggy guidelines — Worlds
Proper Eggy guidelines — Illustrations & pictograms
Proper Eggy guidelines — What we say
Proper Eggy guidelines — Proper Eggy homepage

Upper, mid, lower funnel & performance ads

I wrote ads across the full digital marketing mix – from tone-led meta consideration concepts, through to hardworking lower-funnel creative attracting prospects to our half-price offer.

Meta, upper funnel & mid funnel

Cuckoo paid ad – January’s grim, here’s some cheaper broadband Cuckoo paid ad – Wi-Fi feeling aaaargh Cuckoo paid ad – egg-themed broadband Cuckoo paid ad – 0 dramas, powering long weekends Cuckoo paid ad – click, switch, done Cuckoo paid ad – staycation-friendly broadband Cuckoo paid ad – outside urgghhh, inside ahhh Cuckoo paid ad – ridiculously fast broadband, £0 installation Cuckoo paid ad – broadband that keeps its cool Cuckoo paid ad – broadband made for summer Cuckoo paid ad – a router with great Wi-Fi signal Cuckoo paid ad – five-star Trustpilot reviews Cuckoo paid ad – an offer you can’t refuse, 6 months half-price full fibre Cuckoo paid ad – customer service that answers the phone Cuckoo paid ad – powering school holidays
Cuckoo social — ‘Sunshine. Buttercups. Lemonade. Ducklings.’ Cuckoo social — ‘7 screens a-streaming’ festive countdown
Cuckoo banner ad – your massive p…df in seconds Cuckoo banner ad – your ginormous d…eck in seconds Cuckoo banner ad – your huuuge c…sv in seconds