Why corporate “marketing speak” doesn’t work

A few years back, I bought Overdeliver by Brian Kurtz, a pioneer in direct response marketing who headed up Boardroom Inc. for over 30 years, personally overseeing 1.3 billion pieces of direct mail in his career.

True to the name of the book, my purchase of Overdeliver came with one of the most incredible bonuses a book ever offered:

A PDF file containing some of the best of the best direct mail pieces from the world’s most legendary direct response copywriters including David Ogilvy, John Caples, Eugene Schwartz, Gary Halbert, Gary Bencivenga, and more. 

Some of their best ads are included in this PDF. And I’ve been trying to read through at least one a day recently. 

One thing I’ve noticed, which is “louder” than any other theme I’ve noticed—I’m only about halfway through currently, reading Hank Burnett’s Admiral Byrd Society direct mail piece—is how little the best direct response copywriters use is what I like to think of corporate “marketing speak.” 

Y’know what I’m referring to—certain verbiage choices that scream they were written by AI or by someone who learned everything they know about marketing from following gurus who kneel at the altar of hype. 

I’m talking about words and phrases that make you cringe when you see them like: 

• Game-changer 

• This is a can’t-miss episode

• Supercharge 

• Deep dive 

• Utilize

• Cutting-edge 

• Optimizing 

And other words used by marketers that make their product/service/brand seem, well, conceited. 

Not only do certain word choices like this scream inauthenticity (a deadly sin in today’s far more sophisticated market—there are certain words laymen see and immediately notice they’re being sold to), but they also make the legendary direct response marketers roll in their graves. 

And you know what? 

It also lets the “initiated” know that behind your mask of pompous word choices and fake confidence is an utter lack of confidence in what you do and sell. 

More: 

The more you hype up your claims in any marketing channel, the more objections you’ll naturally receive. 

And the old school direct response copywriters had a brilliant way to soften their wildest objections to make them more believable, and thus, more persuasive. 

Without relying on “power words” every marketer uses so much they become meaningless and lose any power they once had. 

But it also reveals a great litmus test between the amateur and the professional: 

The amateur who refuses to do market research must rely on these so-called “power words” to make up for their laziness. The professional knows these words may or may not work—and it’s highly dependent on the audience they’re writing to. 

Using corporate marketing speak just may be a powerful tool in your arsenal if you’re selling to corporate hacks. 

But if you’re selling to everyday Joe Blows? 

Nothing will repulse them faster than telling them how “game-changing” your solution is. 

Something to think about next time you sit down to write copy. 

Anywho:

Hit reply if you wanna see how much of the heavy lifting my email strategy can do for your bottom line. 

John