Do you like things simple?
Most customers do.
Are you a stickler for simple language in marketing communications? Do you try to avoid, jargon, gobbledygook and most of all long passive sentences?
Unfortunately not everyone shares that view. Some still put out bloated business copy. I’m still astonished by some of the mumbo-jumbo that some companies send me.
I recently received an email from a marketing agency wanting to set up a meeting. I was so shocked by the depth of clichéd management style jargon, I almost feel like naming and shaming them. Instead I will simple share with you the beauty of their bull.
photo credit: Gavin Llewellyn via photopin cc
Here’s one of the many incredible sentences:
“Our unique, proven and collaborative approach of combining doctorate level theoretical analytics, strategy and world-class creative execution delivers ground-breaking, game-changing initiatives for ambitious brands.”
What on earth does it mean? Is this supposed to impress me? Do they really think I want to do business with people who produce such claptrap?
There’s more.
“Our commitment to actionable strategies, ingenious ideas and sustainable impact has already led to successful outcomes.”
Okay hands up. We’ve all used such language. But we really must stop it.
If something is “unique” you know that it is just the same as everything else.
If it is “very unique” you know the copy writer doesn’t realise that you can’t have degrees of uniqueness.
“Innovative” is equally meaningless, “game-changing” even more so.
Please don’t tell me about “value added” or how something has been “optimised” or “finessed” so that it attains the “scalability” to become “world-class”.
People want you to talk to them in plain English. That’s how they communicate. Verbally and in writing.
And please don’t use passive sentences?
Bad: “A letter full of marketing gobbledygook was sent to me by the Marketing Agency”.
Good: “The Marketing Agency sent me a letter full of marketing gobbledygook”.
When you work in an industry of complex products and processes we owe it to our clients and each other to make communications simple. Resist the people who comment on your copy and want to reintroduce complex language unless there is a legal reason for doing so. The fact that they “wouldn’t have written it that way” is not good enough.
Oh and I can’t wait for the follow-up call from those guys at that marketing agency.
Now it’s your turn:
Do you get annoyed by marketing gobbledygook, management speak and jargon? Whilst it is annoying it can also be funny at the same time. Please share your own examples of meaningless marketing gobbledygook. I’d love to read them and perhaps create a list of the most magnificent and meaningless.
Mick James
That was laugh out loud funny – thanks for brightening my day up Roger
Sarah Perkins
The sad thing is that this sort of rubbish still gets them work. It must do, or they would stop using it in their marketing, wouldn’t they?
My favourite piece of gobbledygook at the moment is the title of a paper advocating plain language. It is called “Consequences of erudite vernacular utilized irrespective of necessity: problems with using long words needlessly.”
Poor things. They have done the research to show plain language is good, but cannot use it in their own title. They need an editor!
Roger
Thanks Sarah – that’s a priceless example.
Deborah Tutnauer
This is a good article!! I am working hard at writing active sentences without yards of big words and complex structure, on my blog. I have years of higher education where sentence like that begot better grades. Now in my fifties and coaching entrepreneurs, I’ve been consciously improving simplicity in my writing and marketing . It is so hard to let go of those passive sentences!
Thanks for this article . I received real value from the simplicity of the message!
Roger
Thanks Deborah. We’ll move onto adverbs next.
Andrew Howe
Great article. The example comes close to winning buzzword bingo on its own.
The normal response (e.g. of the Plain English guys and some commentators) is, of course, that the words are meaningless. That’s not *strictly* true is it? I know, Roger, that you’re smart enough to grasp those adjectives. It’s not as snappy but my take is:
* There are just far too many words – esp. too many “consultancy-speak” adjectives.
* Since far too many sellers communicate like this, words lose their distinctiveness,
* There is so much “over-claiming” there, with so little evidence.
* Bottom line: the words are almost certainly not true. Ouch.
* So after we have our moment of amusement we write about it and file it in the wpb.
Write on Roger!
Robert kerr
Since coming to Australia it’s interesting all the new buzz words and TLAs (three letter acronyms).
My least liked is C-class, meaning Chiefs or the senior management team.
At least as a foreigner I can easily ask what they are talking about.
Roger
I always thought C-Class was short hall business class! Thanks for posting!