Junk the Jargon in 2015

We all know that marketing loves its buzzwords. But, as David Ogilvy, one of the world’s greatest ad men once said: “Our business is infested with idiots who try to impress by using pretentious jargon.” Some of us might pretend we’re above the use of jargon, but few of us can truthfully claim to never having used one of the many buzzwords that are uttered around the corridors of advertising agencies and marketing departments.

Here are a five terms that Peppermint thinks the marketing dictionary should junk in 2015.

Agile – we haven’t actually heard this one used by marketers on the Costa del Sol, but we do think that ‘agile’ is more applicable to gymnasts than using it like this: “We need to give the client an agile response…” Well, of course you do, but you could just give him a response. That would do the job nicely.

Impact – an innocent and innocuous word you may think. Frequently used to emphasise the, well ‘impact’ that your advertising campaign will have on the client’s product sales. Sadly, this word stands accused of extreme vagueness: the next time you hear somebody use it this way, do feel free to respond with “How?”

Immersive – a word that sounds more connected to submarines or scuba diving, yet marketers insist on talking about the “immersive consumer experience.” Are you visualising drowning shoppers? We know that the digital world has spawned a whole raft of jargon that its supporters cling to and regularly reinvent, but let’s try to strip it down a bit. Immersive is just the same as “total”, which is a word most people can understand.

Leverage – the smarty pants way to say “use.” As in “Let’s leverage the brand’s USP…”

Thought leaders – this is another manifestation of that other buzzword du jour – ‘influencers’. Used by digital marketers when ‘influencer and ‘guru’ just don’t sound ‘right now’ enough. It’s just another term for ‘expert’; the person is not a marketing messiah, as the grandiose buzzword suggests.

You won’t sound simple or less capable at your job if you junk the jargon in 2015 and talk to each other, and your clients, in language everyone understands – you’ll sound honest and intelligent, and that’s what your clients want.

If you’d like help with your marketing – contact Jade Thompson on +34 951 316 553 or email info@peppermintcreate.com