Jargon – December 14, 2007

As a marketer I understand the importance of developing an alluring message to convince people to consider buying/using my product or service. As a consumer, I know that I am rarely persuaded by taglines and product claims, however, at the very least I’m allured to learn more about that specific product/service.

Unfortunately, some companies do a terrible job of creating outbound messages to describe what their product/service is about. Below is a great example of a message that is used to explain an extremely popular service that over 50 million people around the world use:

“______ is a social utility that connects you with the people around you.”

Any guess what it could be? It’s freaking Facebook. Wow! Mark Zuckerberg could use a lesson or two in marketing. This phrase, which is the most visible on Facebook’s landing page is more of an internal rallying cry versus something that should ever be said to a potential user.
Imagine if Zuckerberg had his way with these taglines:

Nike “Just Do It” would be transformed to “Providing motivated individuals with the essential equipment to achieve their goals”

Cingular “More Bars in More Places” would eventually become “Wireless telecommunications for individuals from Arizona to Azerbaijan so that they can reliably talk to each other and whoever else they want to in any place at any time”

Coors “Tap the Rockies” might end up as “Genuine mountain water cold filtered adult beverages that enhance experiences and friendships once imbibed”