Tuesdays are designated top-ten days here at the Ad2 blog (or, more likely, a top six, top nine, or however many items we need to make a good list).
When I asked friends in the marketing/advertising worlds about overused marketing buzzwords, the most common response was, “Pretty much any word that a marketing firm uses,” or, “All of them.” And I have to say, they’re right. We’re all in the same business, yet we’re so weary of what any of us has to say. We read press releases and other marketing materials with a cynical eye. This could be because that, despite being sick of the blahwords buzzwords, we keep reusing them. C’mon, everyone! Break the cycle!
Taking that into consideration, here are five of the many, many buzzwords that need to be given a rest. I’ve also provided some alternatives (depending on context, of course). I’ll take your comments to round out the other five.
Dynamic
Interesting that a word Merriam-Webster defines “powerful,” or, in its second definition, “marked by usually continuous and productive activity or change,” has become so tired and limp. We describe so much as “dynamic” that it’s become flavorless. And where’s the power in that?
Dynamic options: Vital, high-powered, powerful, multi-tiered/layered, indispensable.
Strategic
This one’s flawed from the start. If I’m your client and hire you to plan a product rollout, or a new ad campaign, etc., it darn well better be strategic. What else am I paying you for? Replace “strategic” with synonyms like calculated, deliberate, tactical, and intentional and you see how silly it is. If you’re not working strategically, you’re probably not carrying your weight.
Strategic substitutes: See above!
Organic
This one’s tricky. It’s useful when describing something that forms in a manner similar to animal or plant life, but it’s become a runaway buzzword. Can we save this one for food products and carbon-based life forms? Organic can refer to something that develops free from outside influence, yes, but since environmental and green (a word that would also be on notice if it weren’t so important to, you know, save the planet) terms are riding a tidal wave of popularity right now, this one’s getting a little worn out. And aren’t we all about conservation these days?
Organic alternatives: Fundamental, integral, living, primary.
Robust
This guy is on a tag team with dynamic. They’re not quite the same thing, but they’ve become interchangeable nonetheless. Sure, we all like programs (or, cringe, solutions, but more on that later) that are workhorses. We have a lot to do and seemingly increasingly less time to do it in, so we need software that can handle heavy workflow, marketing plans with timely and far-reaching ideas (“Robust legislation” is also a term heard fairly often if you’re a politics-junkie). It’s a good word, but it’s in danger of becoming as blasé as dynamic, so let’s give robust a rest.
Robust variations: Complete, solid, vigorous, healthy.
Solution
This might be the biggest offender. “Solutions” is thrown around so much you might not notice it anymore; it’s a part of everyday marketing/business conversations. But plug it into a real, everyday sentence and you notice how inane it is. “I need to stop by the grocery for food solutions.” (Though this would likely be gussied up to “epicurean solutions” by a PR person.) “Let’s go to the mall. I need a clothing solution for my high-school reunion.” No, you just need a dress, just say that!
Or, as an Addy Award-winning friend put it, “Solutions? What are we selling? The answers to your math homework?”
I realize the proliferation of this word has to do with the need for intangible services in an increasingly less-physical and more-digital world. But if you can’t provide a concrete explanation of what your company does, who else can?
Solution solutions: That’s up to you. Put distinct words to what you do!
So what else should round out the list? Other offenders include synergy, emergent, turnkey, unique, one-stop-shop, viral, audience and the ubiquitous phrase “in these tough economic times…” Add new nominees and leave your vote in the comments!