Allegra Marketing • Print • Mail Blog

"Chipping" away at Marketing buzz words

If you’re an NFL fan, as I am, you’ll notice a buzz word that has been used a little too much this season: chippy.  As in, “It’s getting a little chippy down there.”  Or, “this game’s been a little chippy.”  Chippy (just so you’re aware) = aggressive.  Truthfully, though, it has become a joke in my house.  Like Pee Wee Herman’s magic word of the day, we all scream when we hear it.  There’s a new word every season, and as soon as the season’s done, I forget it.  Mainly because I don’t ever want to hear it again.

However, I’ve noticed an alarming trend, as of late.  Buzz words are being used more and more in marketing.  Companies are using buzz words like “obsessed” and “crazy”.  Most recently, I heard a commercial for a jeweler that went something like, “At XYZ Jewelers, we are obsessed with quality and service.”

Obsessed?  Really?  Probably not.  Dedicated, probably.  Committed to excellence, most likely.  But obsessed is reserved for TV shows and psychiatric diagnosis’.  Obsessed lends itself to something negative; like people who have to keep their spare change heads up or who lock their doors three times… every time.

I’m not making light of what can be a debilitating mental illness.  Instead, I am pointing out that exploiting the word for marketing purposes can be tricky and even a little dangerous.

It would be better to say “At XYZ, we are committed to providing you the service and quality you deserve.”  Or, even better?  Position your company as a problem solver.  “Do you have this problem?  This is how XYZ fixes it.”

Stay away from buzz words.  They become passé.  They date your marketing strategies and distract from what you really do.

So the question becomes: What do you do?  If you say, “I make abc” or “I do this-and-that” you’re missing the point.  What do you do better than anyone else?

Let me start by using myself as an example:
“You know that feeling, at the end of the day, when you have worked your butt off and still don’t have enough business to earn a profit?  I fix that.  I help my clients grow their business by using creative marketing strategies that fit their goals and budget.”

See how much better that is than saying, “I am in marketing and obsessed with it.”

It isn’t enough to say what you do.  Keep in mind, though, that it is too much to use superfluous words to illustrate a statement that is egocentric, at best, and disillusioning at worst.  (See how silly that sounds?)

Keep it simple.  Keep it direct.  Keep it about your clients.  Keep it honest.  That is the recipe for success.

If you need help with simplifying your marketing messages, or would like to develop a unique positioning statement for your business, call, click or visit us for more help.