Back Talk: What Marketing Terms Should Retire?
Last year, Vertical Marketing Network penned a handful of marketing terms we hoped to see more of. But what about industry lingo we're tired of? Have certain marketing terms gone the way of quills and ink?
“What is in a name?” the love struck Juliet asks her handsome Romeo in Shakespeare’s famous tale of teen angst. To her, “that which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” And that may be true, but without stirring the grave of one the world’s most respected wordsmiths, I beg to differ. After all, names, words, and the ways in which things are described carry a lot of weight, especially in our modern world, where slang terms such as “belieber” and “G.T.L.” have become so ubiquitous the most polished pundits are declaring: OMG! Last year, Vertical Marketing Network pitched some new words — both real and imagined — we hoped to see more of; “apportunity,” “clipsters,” “onspiration,” and “vertical activation” made the shortlist. But what about terms we’ve had enough of, such as “new media,” “viral” and anything relating to Charlie Sheen? One Vertical Marketing Network coworker cringes at the overuse of “24/7.” Another sighs at the slightest hint of “synergy.” Is it fair to assume that our lightening-speed living deserves a lexicon to match? What would Shakespeare do?
Maybe I’m just blogging out loud, but it seems modern times call for modern rhymes. Traditional marketing lingo often feels outdated, while last year’s NBT (that’s, Next Best Thing) feels overplayed.
That said, is there any traditional or newer marketing terms you’d like to see retired? Is there a word or phrase that doesn’t sit well with you? Why, and what alternatives have you heard that ring more true?
We’d love to hear your ideas!
Brought to you by Vertical Marketing Network, a Leading Integrated Marketing Agency.
Photo credit: b1gw1ght
About JJ Nelson
Blogging Out Loud 
2 killers at the moment – “Glocalisation” and “Contextual Jacket”
both in the same meeting – nearly threw up my lunch….
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Getting to bright
Stimuli
Dig sites
Headwinds
Any sports analogy
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When Cisco discontinued the Flip camera in April, John Chambers’ was quoted in the press release unleashing a torrent of more business clichés than any one paragraph I’ve ever read.
“We are making key, targeted moves as we align operations in support of our network-centric platform strategy,” said John Chambers, Cisco chairman and CEO, in the press release. “As we move forward, our consumer efforts will focus on how we help our enterprise and service provider customers optimize and expand their offerings for consumers, and help ensure the network’s ability to deliver on those offerings.”
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When Cisco discontinued the Flip camera in April, John Chambers’ was quoted in the company press release. He unleashed a torrent of more business clichés than any one paragraph I’ve ever read.
“We are making key, targeted moves as we align operations in support of our network-centric platform strategy,” said John Chambers, Cisco chairman and CEO, in the press release. “As we move forward, our consumer efforts will focus on how we help our enterprise and service provider customers optimize and expand their offerings for consumers, and help ensure the network’s ability to deliver on those offerings.”
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So many choices, I don’t know where to start! Thanks for sharing!
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Joe R., I would throw “innovation” and “reinventing” right into that. People blow a bubble gum and think they have innovated.
Regards,
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How about “state-of-the-art”
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How about dropping “paradigm”? Or, has it been dropped already?!?
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An oldie but a goodie! I agree! Thanks for the comment!
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I think I’ve had enough of “mobile”. Mobile website, mobile phone, mobile coupons, mobile version, mobile interactivity, mobile commerce, mobile marketing, mobile me…. I know we all rely on our mobile phones nowadays, but it’s just too overused
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If someone would be so kind as to strike “optimize” from business vernacular we could all get to the root of what we are trying to do and how we intend to do it instead of tossing out a word that requires others to “just trust me… I just used an important word, now let me off the hook from having to explain how I am going to do it”. (and while we are focused on simplificataion, we can strike “strike”, “vernacular” and “simplification”, too. They are consuming too much oxygen.)
Thanks for the opportunity to liberate my thoughts. (oh yeah, retire “liberate” too)
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Great feedback, Joe! Thanks!
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