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B U L L S H I T A L E R T ! T H E T R O U B L E W I T H M & E B U Z Z W O R D S
Av o i d i n g t h e b u z z w o r d b a n d w a g o nA n e B o o k f r o m R e d L o r r y Ye l l o w L o r r y
M E D I A A N D E N T E R T A I N M E N T
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B U L L S H I T A L E R T ! T H E T R O U B L E W I T H M & E B U Z Z W O R D S
Language, and maybe imagery if we’re lucky, is all we have to make our point.
And in today’s environment of breakneck speed, short attention spans and
limited character counts, you have mere seconds to make that point and grab
attention.
Imparting the right message in the right way has never been more important.
But guess what? A lot of us aren’t getting it right. Whether PR people,
manufacturers or journalists, we’re sliding down a slippery slope of using
too many buzzwords. We seem caught in a me-too trap of lazily copying our
competitors and creating communications that are boring at best or completely
ineffectual (and downright nonsensical) at worst.
In an effort to understand and combat this pervasive problem, we asked various
members of the M&E community for the words and phrases they find most
overused and annoying. There were enough to fill pages. But here are some
of the most used-to-the-point-of-meaninglessness and downright dangerous
terms that threaten to hijack the most well-intended communications.
While every industry has its own words and phrases that get used so much
they lose their meaning, M&E has to be one of the worst offenders. In this age
of “convergence” (aha! Our first example – what the heck does this mean?), it
stands to reason that some of the words used in the M&E space might also
make their way onto IT lists. Our first word fits that description.
We call bull. The trouble with buzzwords.
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B U L L S H I T A L E R T ! T H E T R O U B L E W I T H M & E B U Z Z W O R D S
1. Cloud
Remember when this meant the puffy white shape in the sky? Cloud computing is a real term
defined by various authoritative sources but cloud on its own can be nebulous and is bandied
about far too often. And to make matters worse, cloud is now being combined with other
words to make altogether new, even more ambiguous phrases.
Cloud native is an emerging phrase and that makes Devoncroft Partners analyst Josh
Stinehour skeptical at best. “The feedback we receive from customers suggests the
marketing of cloud native is far ahead of the technology reality of many vendor
solutions.” Perhaps the moral of this story is: say what you mean and mean what you say – no
exceptions.
Cloud is now being combined with other
words to make altogether new, even more
ambiguous phrases.
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B U L L S H I T A L E R T ! T H E T R O U B L E W I T H M & E B U Z Z W O R D S
This one is a little surprising. Solution can be synonymous with product, right?
Well, not to our respondents. TV Technology’s Neal Romanek has some strong
feelings about this seemingly benign word. (Stop reading if you’re easily
offended.) “We’ve got to come up with something better than this blanket,
“I-have-no-idea-what-to-call-this-fucking-thing” catch-all,” he fumes.
And here’s where the convergence (ok, blurring the lines between various
technology areas) comes in. “I know we are moving into a period where the line
between services and products is increasingly fuzzy, but when I read ‘solution’
– or when I write it – I think: ‘We really haven’t put the proper thinking time
into deciding what this thing is, have we?’ Additionally, solution sounds like
groveling - like you want to be everything to everyone. Make a decision, stand up
for yourself; don’t let the consumer push you around.” Enough said. I for one will
never look at the word the same way again.
2. Solution/s
We’ve got to come up with something better
than this blanket catch-all.
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B U L L S H I T A L E R T ! T H E T R O U B L E W I T H M & E B U Z Z W O R D S
g r o v e l i n g - L IKE YOU WANT TO BE
EVERYTHING TO EVERYONE ,STAND UP FOR YOURSELF;
Solution
DON’T LET THE CONSUMER PUSH YOU AROUND
S O U N D S L I K E
N E A L R O M A N E KE D I TO R
T V T EC H N O L O G Y
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B U L L S H I T A L E R T ! T H E T R O U B L E W I T H M & E B U Z Z W O R D S
What the heck does this mean? Part of the problem is that it’s completely
subjective. One person’s future proof is not another’s. EVS’ James Stellpflug
shakes his head as he says it, as if it defies explanation. Aspera’s Francois
Quereuil isn’t a fan either. “It’s such a definitive term – like you’re never going to
have to do anything ever again. Nothing is ever completely future proof.”
Future proof vaguely conjures standing the test of time but beyond that
is anyone’s guess. It simply doesn’t mean anything precisely because it means
something different to everyone. And punctuation stymies too. One word, two
words, hyphen? Try Googling that one.
3. Future proof
Part of the problem is that it’s completely
subjective. One person’s future proof is not
another’s.
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B U L L S H I T A L E R T ! T H E T R O U B L E W I T H M & E B U Z Z W O R D S
J A M E S S T E L L P F L U GV I C E P R ES I D E N T, P R O D U C T M A R K E T I N G
E V S B R O A D C A S T EQ U I P M E N T
I F
T H E F U T U R ED E F I N I N GI S A LW AY S
H O W C A N Y O U B E
F U T U R E P R O O F
T H E U N K N O W N
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B U L L S H I T A L E R T ! T H E T R O U B L E W I T H M & E B U Z Z W O R D S
Virtualization is certainly one of the ‘it’ words of the moment. It’s cropping up in
nearly every industry blog, website and press release. It stands to reason, as it’s
an extension—or perhaps more aptly, an amalgamation—of IP and cloud.
Another cog in the wheel of the same bandwagon. And while it is an actual
term, it’s been used so frequently and carelessly that it’s losing its meaning and
becoming simply a marketing term.
Many insiders, like Andrew Osmond, Aperi’s vp of business development, don’t
have a problem with the term itself. He points out its specific meaning, one that’s
at the heart of their business, but acknowledges its creep into so many places
and the fine line of using it correctly. “Overused is a superset that includes
misused,” he points out. Well said.
3. Virtualization
It’s been used so frequently and carelessly
that it’s losing its meaning.
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B U L L S H I T A L E R T ! T H E T R O U B L E W I T H M & E B U Z Z W O R D SBUT WAIT!THERE’S MORE
- WHICH MEANS I DON’T GET OUT OFTEN ENOUGH, SO
I AM REALLY
A N Y T H I N GEXCITES ME
�cited G RO U N D B R E A K IN GSHOULD BE RESERVED
FOR STORIES ABOUT
D AV I D A U S T E R B E R R YE D I TO R
T H E B R O A D C A S T B R I D G E9 rlyl.com
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B U L L S H I T A L E R T ! T H E T R O U B L E W I T H M & E B U Z Z W O R D S
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B U T W A I T !T H E R E ’ S M O R E
L e a d i n gB e s t - i n - b r ee DONLY I F YOU ARE THAT
D O G
R I C H A R D B R A N D O NC M O
E D G E WA R E
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B U L L S H I T A L E R T ! T H E T R O U B L E W I T H M & E B U Z Z W O R D S
RESEARCH A N D TESTDON’Trun
KEEP ITSIMPLE
JUST SAY NO!1.
2 .
3 .
TRY , ASK AND REF INERESE
SPEAK PLAINLY AND CLEARLY TO AVOID
TURNING OFF CLIENTSAND PROSPECTS
STAND APART WITH MESSAGING THAT CUTS
THROUGH THE NOISEcrowdWITH THE
BE CONSISTENT5 .
OFFER PROOF 4 .CUSTOMER STORIES , AWARDS AND
INDEPENDENT REPORTS TELLYOUR STORY BET TER THAN YOU CAN
WORKED HARD TO DEVELOP AN EFFECTIVE VOICE AND MESSAGES?USE THEM – EVERYWHERE
While many of these buzzwords may infiltrate your
communications and endanger its effectiveness, it’s
not too late to change. We all slip from time to time. It
takes practise, and some common sense, to just say
no to meaningless jargon.
Here are our top five tips for avoiding the
buzzword bandwagon.
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B U L L S H I T A L E R T ! T H E T R O U B L E W I T H M & E B U Z Z W O R D S
Instead of adding to the noise, why not cut through it? Tell us your most hated
buzzwords by tweeting @RedLorryComms with the hashtag #BullshitAlert.
Even better, you can have a refreshing, jargon-free chat with the lorries about
how to improve your communications. We promise no optimizing, synergizing
or immersing – just straight talking about how to make your business better.
Period.
Get in touch at [email protected]
Win £100 worth of bullshit-free amazon vouchers:
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B U L L S H I T A L E R T ! T H E T R O U B L E W I T H M & E B U Z Z W O R D S
@RedLorryComms
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