The Gobbledygook Manifesto

By David Meerman Scott

Info next
ChangeThis
No 37.03
Info ./.c
Oh jeez, not another fexible, scalable, groundbreaking,
industry-standard, cutting-edge product from a market-leading, well positioned company! Ugh.
I think Im gonna puke! Just like with a teenagers use of catch phrases, I notice the same words
cropping up again and again in Web sites and news releasesso much so that the gobbledygook
grates against my nerves and many other peoples, too. Well, duh. Like, companies just totally
dont communicate very well, you know?
So few marketing and PR people write well. Many of the thousands of Web sites Ive analyzed over
the years and the hundred or so news releases I receive each week from well- meaning PR people
are laden with these gobbledygook adjectives. So I wanted to see exactly how many of these words
are being used, and created an analysis to do so.
An AnALYSIS OF GOBBLeDYGOOK
First, I selected words and phrases that are overused in news releases by polling select PR people
and journalists to get a list of gobbledygook phrases. then I turned to Factiva from Dow Jones
for help with my analysis. the folks at the Factiva Reputation Lab used text mining tools to analyze
news releases sent by companies in north America. Factiva analyzed each release in its database
that had been sent to one of the north American news release wires it distributes for the period
from January 1, 2006, to September 30, 2006. the news release wires included in the analysis
were Business Wire, Canada newsWire, CCnMatthews, Commweb.com, Market Wire, Moodys, PR
newswire, and Primezone Media network.
the results were staggering. the news release wires collectively distributed just over 388,000 news
releases in the nine-month period, and just over 74,000 of them mentioned at least one of the
Gobbledygook phrases. the winner was next generation, with 9,895 uses. there were over 5,000
ChangeThis
No 37.03
Info 3/.c
uses of each of the following words and phrases: fexible, robust, world class, scalable, and
easy to use. Other notably overused phrases with between 2,000 and 5,000 uses included cutting
edge, mission critical, market leading, industry standard, turnkey, and groundbreaking.
Oh and dont forget interoperable, best of breed, and user friendly, each with over 1,000 uses
in news releases.
ChangeThis
No 37.03
Info /.c
WRIte FOR YOUR BUYeRS
Your buyers (and the media that cover your company) want to know what specifc problems your
product solves, and they want proof that it worksin plain language. Your marketing and PR is
meant to be the beginning of a relationship with buyers and to drive action (such as generating sales
leads), which requires a focus on buyer problems. Your buyers want to hear this in their own words.
every time you writeyes, even in news releasesyou have an opportunity to communicate. At
each stage of the sales process, well- written materials will help your buyers understand how you,
specifcally, will help them.
Whenever you set out to write something, you should be writing specifcally for one or more of
the buyers that you want to reach. You should avoid jargon-laden phrases that are over-used
in your industry. In the technology business, words like groundbreaking, industry-standard,
and cutting-edge are what I call gobbledygook. the worst gobbledygook offenders seem to be
business-to-business technology companies. For some reason, marketing people at technology
companies have a particularly tough time explaining how products solve customer problems.
Because these writers dont understand how their products solve customer problems, or are too
Because these writers dont understand how
their products solve customer problems,
they cover by explaining how the product works
and pepper this blather with industry jargon.
ChangeThis
No 37.03
Info /.c
lazy to write for buyers, they cover by explaining myriad nuances of how the product works and
pepper this blather with industry jargon that sounds vaguely impressive. What ends up in marketing
materials and news releases is a bunch of talk about industry-leading solutions that purport to
help companies streamline business process, achieve business objectives, or conserve organiza-
tional resources. Huh?
HOW DID We Get HeRe?
When I see words like fexible, scalable, groundbreaking, industry standard, or cutting-edge,
my eyes glaze over. What, I ask myself, is this supposed to mean? Just saying your widget is industry
standard means nothing unless some aspect of that standardization is important to your buyers.
In the next sentence, I want to know what you mean by industry standard, and I also want you to
tell me why that standard matters and give me some proof that what you say is indeed true.
People often say to me, everyone in my industry writes this way. Why? Heres how the usual
dysfunctional process works and why these phrases are so overused: Marketers dont understand
buyers, the problems buyers face, or how their product helps solve these problems. thats where
the gobbledygook happens. First the marketing person bugs the product managers and others in
the organization to provide a set of the products features. then the marketing person reverse-
Just saying your widget is industry standard
means nothing unless some aspect of that
standardization is important to your buyers.
ChangeThis
No 37.03
Info 6/.c
engineers the language that they think the buyer wants to hear based not on buyer input but on
what the product does. A favorite trick these ineffective marketers use is to take the language that
the product manager provides, go into Microsoft Words fnd-and-replace mode, substitute the word
solution for product, and then slather the whole thing with superlative-laden, jargon-sprinkled hype.
By just decreeing, through an electronic word substitution, that our product is your solution, these
companies effectively deprive themselves of the opportunity to convince people that this is the case.
Another major drawback of the generic gobbledygook approach is that it doesnt make your com-
pany stand out from the crowd. Heres a test: take the language that the marketers at your company
dreamed up and substitute the name of a competitor and the competitors product for your own.
Does it still make sense to you? Marketing language that can be substituted for another companys
isnt effective in explaining to a buyer why your company is the right choice.
Hold on, you might say. the technology industry may be dysfunctional, but I dont write that way.
Ill admit that the gobbledygook phrases I chose are mainly used by technology companies operating
in the business-to-business space. If you are writing for a company that sells different kinds of
products (shoes, perhaps), then you would probably not be tempted to use many of the above phrases.
the same thing is true for nonprofts, churches, rock bands, and other organizationsyoure also
unlikely to use these sorts of phrases. But the lessons are the same.
the fact is that there is equivalent nonsense going on in all industries. Heres an example from the
world of local government. The sustainability group has convened a task force to study the cause
of energy ineffciency and to develop a plan to encourage local businesses to apply renewable-
energy and energy-effcient technologies which will go a long way toward encouraging community
buy-in to potential behavioral changes. What the heck is that?
ChangeThis
No 37.03
Info /.c
Or consider this example from the frst paragraph of a well-known companys corporate overview
page. [Company X] has remained faithful in its commitment to producing unparalleled
entertainment experiences based on its rich legacy of quality creative content and exceptional
storytelling. Today, [Company X] is divided into four major business segments Each segment
consists of integrated, well-connected businesses that operate in concert to maximize exposure
and growth worldwide. Can you guess the company?
eFFeCtIVe WRItInG FOR MARKetInG AnD PR
Your marketing and PR is meant to be the beginning of a relationship with buyers (and journalists).
this begins when you work at understanding your target audience and fgure out how they should be
sliced into distinct buying segments or buyer personas. Once this exercise is complete, identify the
situations each target audience may fnd themselves in. What are their problems? Business issues?
needs? Only then are you ready to communicate your expertise to the market. Heres the rule: when
you write, start with your buyers, not with your product.
Consider the entertainment company paragraph. the marketing and PR folks at Disney (Did you
guess it was Disneys corporate overview page I quoted from above?) should be thinking about
what customers want from an entertainment company, rather than just thinking up fancy words for
what they think they already provide.
Heres the rule: when you write, start with your
buyers, not with your product.
ChangeThis
No 37.03
Info 8/.c
Why not start by defning the problem? Many television and cinema fans today are frustrated
with the state of the American entertainment industry. They believe todays flms and shows are
too derivative and that entertainment companies dont respect their viewers intelligence.
next, successful marketers will use real-world language to convince their customers that they
can solve their problem. Be careful to avoid corporate jargon, but you dont want to sound
like youre trying too hard eitherthat always comes across as phony. talk to your audience as
you might talk to a relative you dont see too oftenbe friendly and familiar but also respectful:
Like our audience, we care about and enjoy movies and TV showsthats why were in this
business in the frst place. As such, we pledge to always now I have no connection with Disney
and dont know about the Disney business. But I have purchased a lot Disney products: movies,
tV shows, videos, and passes to theme parks. It might seem strange to people at Disney to actually
write something like I suggest. It might feel strange for the PR and marketing people at Disney
to use a phrase like movies and TV shows rather than quality entertainment content, but that its
absolutely essential to establishing a relationship with customers.
Your online and offine marketing content is meant to drive action (such as generating sales leads),
which requires a focus on buyer problems. Your buyers want this in their own words, and then
they want proof. every time you write, you have an opportunity to communicate and to convince.
At each stage of the sales process, well-written
materials combined with efective marketing
programs will lead your buyers to understand
how your company can help them.
ChangeThis
No 37.03
Info p/.c
At each stage of the sales process, well- written materials combined with effective marketing
programs will lead your buyers to understand how your company can help them.
Good marketing is rare indeed,
but a focus on doing it right will most
certainly pay of with increased
sales, higher retention rates, and more
ink from journalists.
ChangeThis
No 37.03
Info .c/.c
About the Author
David Meerman Scott is an online thought leadership and viral marketing strategist. the programs he has
developed have won numerous awards and are responsible for selling over one billion dollars in products
and services worldwide. He is the author of The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use News Releases,
Blogs, Viral Marketing and Online Media to Reach Buyers Directly, a number one bestselling book in the PR
and marketing category. Scott has lived and worked in new York, tokyo, Boston, and Hong Kong and has
presented at industry conferences and events in over twenty countries on four continents.
He blogs at www.WebInknow.com.
send this
Pass along a copy of this manifesto to others.
subscribe
Sign up for our free e-newsletter to learn about our latest manifestos as soon as they are available.
born on dAte
this document was created on August 8, 2007 and is based on the best information available at that time.
Check here for updates.
info
buy the book
Get more details or
buy a copy of Scotts
The New Rules of
Marketing and PR.
About chAnGethis
Changethis is a vehicle, not a publisher.
We make it easy for big ideas to spread.
While the authors we work with are
responsible for their own work, they dont
necessarily agree with everything
available in Changethis format. But you
knew that already.
Changethis is supported by the love and
tender care of 800-CeO-ReAD. Visit us
at 800-CeO-ReAD or at our daily blog.
copyriGht info
the copyright of this work belongs
to the author, who is solely responsible
for the content.
this work is licensed under the Creative
Commons Attribution-nonCommercial-
noDerivs License. to view a copy of this
license, visit Creative Commons or send a
letter to Creative Commons, 559 nathan
Abbott Way, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
Cover image by Stauber Design Studio.
WhAt you cAn do
You are given the unlimited right to print this
manifesto and to distribute it electronically
(via email, your website, or any other
means). You can print out pages and put
them in your favorite coffee shops windows
or your doctors waiting room. You can
transcribe the authors words onto the
sidewalk, or you can hand out copies to
everyone you meet. You may not alter
this manifesto in any way, though, and
you may not charge for it.
ChangeThis
No 37.03