Is it just me, or have we all lost our ability to clearly describe what’s happening around us? The old adage of Keep It Simple Stupid (KISS) appears to going the way of the do-do bird.
As agencies, we are struggling lately with one of our core “reasons for being” – making things easier for consumers to understand. Could it be that one of the key reasons organizations are abandoning agencies is that we have simply stopped making sense?
In a marketing world of fractured audiences, a virtual shutdown in spending and unprecedented levels of consumer input direct to brands, agencies should be the one cutting to the benefit quickly and succinctly. Have we forgotten how to avoid marketing speak in what we say and write? Case in point, isn’t it easier for consumers to know what a “sale” is versus a “savings extravaganza” or a “sales event”?
And since when was it OK for a non-personalized direct mail piece to become an “exclusive” offer, or a promotion “reserved” for the “Current Resident?” Let’s give people more credit folks…
I worry that the only thing we’re trying to sell sometimes is each other on how smart we are by including as many buzzwords, jargon and platitudes as possible.
A recent Robinson and Maites blog talked about how consumers are actually growing more literate thanks to social networks, texting, eBooks, etc. No matter the literacy level though, it is still an agency’s responsibility to provide communications that are clear in delivering the end benefit. Because in today’s world of talking head pundits, blog postings, and user reviews, sometimes less really is more. Simpler really can break through, just because it is so different than the norm…
As Ralph Waldo Emerson simply stated, “It is proof of high culture to say the greatest matters in the simplest way.”
November 12th, 2009 at 11:07 pm
Sadly, it seems to be going the wrong way for a lot of marketers. I recently saw a sign for a BOGO event. Should we expect the public to know what BOGO means? Even worse, do they know what it means??
Advertising is best when it communicates clearly, gives a compelling reason for its existence, and rewards the reader/viewer/passerby with something to think about, smile about or talk about. Like a great conversation.
November 24th, 2009 at 12:52 am
One pitfall marketers in any discipline can fall victim to is the use of meaningless adjectives and superlatives. In the effort to try and “spice” up the copy, they end up as you said, making it confusing and often times irrelevant. The best way to sell a product or service is to find the inherent truths in them, then creatively communicate those truths to your target with minimal exaggeration.
Here’s a great exercise: Write your ad without using any adjectives. You’d be surprised at how powerful your copy becomes and how the truth rises to the top of your messaging.