Marketing buzzwords, phrases, or cliches, call them what you want. Almost all of them have a shelf life. Very few are timeless. For those that are beat, overused, and just superfluous jargon used in marketing meetings, it’s time to drop them. Here are the 5 marketing buzzwords we recommend avoiding.
Think Outside The Box
Originally, this was nice way of saying “Your idea is unoriginal, think different.” It let creatives know more work was needed and kindled improvement. Now, it’s an overused go-to buzzword that signals a meeting has lost its steam. It’s time to put the thinking part on pause and just say what needs to be said. Don’t beat around the bush. It’s okay to say an approach is lacking creativity or direction.
Make It Pop
This phrase is one of the most overused cliches when referencing creative and design direction. It has no meaning. It gives no direction. What pops for one person, may not pop for another. It’s subjective feedback. Instead, it’s better to point out the things that are holding it back. Color. Layout. Typography. Something that is concrete!
Growth Hacking
You may be unfamiliar with this one as it’s fairly new, but it’s already overstayed its welcome. The term was coined by startups to describe the act of using data, technology, and creative to quickly raise revenue. If that sounds like marketing to you, it’s because it is. The speed in which one earns revenue does not change the fact that it’s still just marketing.
Disruption
Marketers who use this word want you to throw away everything you know about marketing and make a bunch of noise. That’s fine. There’s nothing wrong with breaking the mold. But, most of the time when someone believes they’re doing something disruptive, they’re actually not. Unless they’re often written about in industry magazines, they’re more than likely using the word to exaggerate an otherwise common approach. It’s perfectly fine to do what is effective, but that doesn’t make it disruptive.
Synergy
If there is only one marketing buzzword you’re willing to cut, we pray to HR that this is it. There’s a reason synergy was voted the most annoying marketing buzzword. It’s overused and has been beat to death nine times. Synergy is a filler word that demands attention, but more often than not, it doesn’t have any substance. If you’re thinking of using the word, it’s time to think outside the box.