Enough With Buzzwords That Create Cut Through – Deep Dive into the Idea

Plenty of industries have buzzwords, but probably none more so than media.

The words themselves aren’t that difficult to understand. But put them together with a hundred others on a slide and you have one hell of a mess.

It’s not our fault though. For years, agency, and indeed, client briefs have become laden with words and phrases that would make even the most studied scholar go “huh?”.

We use them because our clients do. We think that by using them in return, our proposal is more likely to be considered. It’s become somewhat of a crutch in making sure we tick all the boxes.

But what does it really do? Well, besides making briefs (ironically) and responses longer, it muddies the ideas and the pitch.

You can get lost presenting it in an attempt to sound clever.

A great idea should stand on its own merits. Try and over complicate it with terminology and it may become difficult to sell in, or worse still, be dismissed straight away. Plenty of good ideas have fallen by the wayside because someone didn’t get it.

There is a great sidebar in one of my favourite books, Content Rules, where they listed 18 business buzzwords they want banished from the English language straight away “because they make us sound like tools”. It’s worth a read.

I challenge you next tine you write a presentation to cut out these egregious uses of words (see – totally unnecessary use of a big word), and say what you mean.

Why will your idea work for the client? What about your product is different? Why should they buy from you? In your words. Not theirs.

What’s the most overused buzzword you’ve heard? Let us know in the comments below.

PHOTO – 8lettersuk