Is being too concise hurtful ?

All of the business owners reading this post will have experienced this: in trying to get your message out about your product or services, the marketing gurus you've hired and everyone else always says the same: If you can't explain your unique value proposition while you are going down the elevator - you've lost the customer.

In other words, if you can't capture the attention of the prospective buyer with a few words or images - then forget it about it.

Some say that our collective reduced attention span is due to social media like Twitter that forces you to get your idea out in less than 120 characters. Others say that since children don't read as much (they prefer TikTok videos or YouTube etc.) more sophisticated ideas or abstract concepts can't be communicated anymore unless you can do so in a few words/sounds/infographics.

After all, there is no need to learn how to cook since you can press on your UberEats app and the food miraculously appears on your doorstep. No need to learn about car engines so you press on your Car Servicing app and take in your machine to see the mechanic.

If what they say is true, and that our collective attention span and ability to comprehend more complex ideas is deteriorating, what are some of the consequences ? Furthermore, if this is actually happening, how can we protect ourselves ?

Consequences

The consequences are frightening to say the least. The rise of artificial intelligence means that machines and software can now be utilised at very low costs by ill-meaning individuals who want to corrupt or manipulate public opinion by producing fake news or playing on the emotions of people. Since one of the only remaining defences we have against misinformation is an ability to critically assess information that is presented to us, and filter out what could be real from what is false, if our natural default state is to pay little attention to the details, we will continue to fall victim to scams.

The rise in malicious software that usually comes through email is a case in point. The ingenuity used by fraudsters to get you to click on a dangerous link in an email received that otherwise looks legitimate is often spectacular. I've seen messages about a fictitious client wanting to pay an outstanding invoice or a report from a division of the company that one would expect to receive in the normal operations of a company.

In the political realm, especially during election campaigns, when voters are asked to make a choice that can impact their lives for the next 4 or 5 years, those who make a living in trying to manipulate public opinion really count on the intellectual apathy of the consumer of information. If the headlines alone are enough to upset a particular voting block, then at low cost, these political operators will have achieved their goal quickly. No one seems to care about vetting the veracity and scope of what is being presented as "facts" in the campaign rhetoric.

More troubling are political debates over very complex issues that do require more than a headline to solve. If global warming is extremely important to tackle but no simple solution appears to exist, only various complex and interrelated strategies, those who favour the status quo can simply claim that it doesn't exist or if it does, that it isn't the result of human actions. That gives the citizen unwilling to participate in the solution a quick and easy way out. If I can't solve it alone, and that nothing can be done about it, then why try to do anything at all ? That is simple reasoning that I can live with.

Thankfully, that reasoning was not used by all before the abolition of slavery where similar arguments were made: Slavery is in the US Constitution and it is impossible to get all of the states to amend the Constitution. Slavery is simply a fact of life and has been going on for centuries. Since I cannot take on Congress by myself or the Courts interpreting the US Constitution, it is best to do nothing and continue to accept slavery.

Protecting Oneself

In the realm of business - those who offer sophisticated services must think about mechanisms to explain the value they bring to their customers, but not be 'reductionists' and assume their audience has little to no capacity to think critically. An online and annotated "User's Manual" might be one idea that offers a good balance between useful solutions and background information. The natural fear is that 'copy cats' will discover the 'secret sauce' used by the enterprise and copy it. A well organized "Frequently Asked Questions" section is another way to provide additional colour and texture to a product or service that a business wishes to advertise through education, not gimmickry.

In other fields of human activity (such as politics), the solutions are not readily apparent. If I am presented with a video clip of a well-known politician that appears to commit some reprehensible act (but that this is altered) my natural inclination will be to take it at face value, unless some sixth sense tells me that this seems to be 'out of character' and to reject the validity of the message pending independent verification. Doing a "Google Search" to see if the news item is a fake might not help if artificial intelligence bots have flooded the public domain with equally false 'back up information' prior to the release of the video clip.

In previous eras, the standard advice would have been to read extensively, from various competing sources to form some general and well educated view of what is transpiring more generally in society. The consolidation of the media and the fact that most news outlet rely on a few 'wire services' for their primary news gives one pause to put too much blind faith in the sanctity of our news collecting agencies.

Conclusion

Should we rush to over-simplify everything because that appears to be the only way to get new customers ? Are we not leaving a lot of value and richness 'off the table' when we try to cram a sophisticated idea into a slogan ? While I applaud those who can encapsulate a broader idea into a few words for their ingenuity, are we not risking much in aiding and abetting in acting that way ourselves through our own communications?

This piece is not designed to convince the reader to "buy" something. But it is an invitation to reflect on what is happening to our collective wisdom and to ponder whether the 'good advice' of the marketing gurus is the only way to acquire loyal clients. I may be 'old school' but I've always thought that respecting the intellect of my clients was a good way to maintain a loyal following. Treating them like children who have lost the ability to critically assess information seems to me like expedient, but ultimately, destructive for all.