The Consumer Eye - February Part 2
Brett Goldhawk
Founder DesignHawk. We care about your brand converting more sales. We do that by ensuring consumers notice your brand where it matters most. That’s why we specialise in packaging design & shopper marketing.
Through the process of simplification, we overcomplicate things.
I blame this on the need to name everything. I understand that by somehow naming things we give objects and services emotional life; but what happens when you start naming things that are neither an object or service.
Take Purpose. The dictionary version makes total sense. The business version not so much. The agency version is just downright psychedelic.
And like a herd of sheep every organisation feels the need to have the same shiny things without really aligning on their meaning.
Is purpose different to a vision?
Is vision different to a mission statement?
Is mission statement different to a manifesto?
Is manifesto different to a brand essence?
All these words that have never truly been defined, aimlessly batted around organisations like the crappy afternoon game of ping pong in the office cafeteria.
This is before organisations overlay DNA, heritage, tone of voice, personality, behaviours (of people and brands), ways of working, culture. It goes on and on and on.
It’s all a muddle.
We seem to ‘name’ everything without having a clue on how they all connect.
And that’s before people add their own special acronyms or coined phrases into the mix.
It’s no wonder most employees’ clock in and clock out!
I wonder if humanity will ever lose its fascination with naming stuff. And if businesses will ever eradicate the ‘red tape’ that this ‘naming’ creates.
I believe that If you speak to people normally, using language they understand, delivered in a clear and concise way, you might realise you don’t need all of these trendy words after all.
Limitless Brands
2 年If I have the thrust correct, it means just say things how they are, be honest, brave and clear...don't be obtuse in your language to make yourself look better than you are. The number of times I just say ok, treat me like a 4 year old I have forgotten!
Female Founder | Co-CEO @ The PR Network | Global Communications | G100 UK Country Member | PRWeek Power Book 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021 | PRovoke Innovator 25 EMEA
3 年This made me chuckle. I think some of us in our industry are definitely guilty of this. Nicky Regazzoni and I always value having Harriet Bateman, our financial controller in our meetings as she keeps us on the straight and narrow if we ever get to stuck into the jargon! You should always have a finance person in a meeting to raise an eyebrow if you start getting too caught up in your own PR bubble
PR strategist | Board advisor, NED, critical friend | Solving challenges that keep agencies, leaders and businesses awake at night
3 年Love the skewering of the hot air parts of our industry. Easy to get caught up in self importance, rules founded in agency land and the things that don't have a real life relevance. Much more listening, and quite a lot less talking tends to help.