If I had a pound for every time I’d encountered any of the following words or phrases in a press release, I’d be well on my way buying my own place in London by now. ‘Dynamic’, ‘exciting’, ‘groundbreaking’, ‘maximising’, ‘market leader’ - and my all time favourite… ‘innovative’.
According to the dictionary, being innovative is about “producing something like nothing done or experienced or created before”. Which I find kind of ironic given that the word seems to crop up in just about every other press release I get sent. It’s like whoever is writing a release just plonks the word in when they can’t think what else to put there. Very “innovative”!
And in the past month alone, I must have been contacted by the “market leaders” of at least five different email marketing specialist companies. I’m no mathematician, but that doesn’t quite seem to add up.
The other thing that gets me about press releases is the quotes. For a start, everybody is “delighted” to have been appointed, to have hired somebody, to have launched a new product or to have worked on a pitch. Yes, I’m sure you all are delighted, but are you honestly telling me that people talk like this:
“I am delighted to be joining such a fantastic, market leading, innovative and forward thinking company at this exciting, dynamic and truly groundbreaking time”
Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating a bit. But honestly, some of the releases I read are so sugary, I could probably dip them in my tea and pass on the granulated stuff altogether. It would be much more useful, and interesting, if these quotes actually said something about what you’re going to be doing in your new role, or why you’re so “delighted” to be joining in the first place.
So if there are any marketers reading this who know they’ll be sending me press releases, much as I will be “delighted” to receive them maybe you could think about toning down the puff and putting in some real “added value”? (See what I did there…)
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I howled out loud at this and agree wholeheartedly. It appears that very few corporations, no matter how successful and/or respected they may be, can manage to write a decent press release. I once spotted three (yes, three) 'innovatives' and a 'doubly delighted' (I kid you not) in one single announcement from the (alleged) PR desk of Sky. Not to mention the use of the word 'solution' in tech copy. People, people, people ... the word 'solution' means “homogenous molecular mixtures of two or more substances” and, no matter how hard I try, even my lateral brainwaves are unable to link technology to alchemy (at least, without mixing my metaphors - excuse the pun). More so, it is not just the incompetent PR copywriters who need to be sent back to school, but also the spokespeople at the companies. No matter how many times they are told to think of quotes a little more imaginative than the dreaded, "We are doubly delighted to launch our new, innovative, ground-breaking solution," they always, without fail, include at least one blooper with their quote; and then act all offended when they are edited. PR copywriting pedants unite and let's stamp out this illiteracy ... or else steal their clients for ourselves.
An interestingly under-informed contribution to the debate Jules. Clearly, a new dictionary is required. Solution is in fact a perfectly legitimate noun as "the answer to or disposition of a problem". As the majority of B2B products and services do in fact aim to resolve business issues and needs, in the context of tech copy solution gets the green light. (I won't indulge my desire to point out chemicals don't have a great deal to do with technology in the first place).
As for the dull repetitive drivel in many news releases, my support for the elimination of lazy rhetoric is total. However, PR's should not be blamed for the limitations of the English language nor for their unending professionalism in attempting to sugar coat the crushing lack of newsworthiness inherent in many a technology 'story'.
Oh, and finally, those who actually do proper PR will know that spokespersons never actually write their own quotes. Happy client stealing.
'Under-informed'? Well, 'anon', methinks your lack of supplying an identity is somewhat 'under-informed' ... as may well be your sense of humour. Of course spokespeople never write their own quotes (for syndication release), although they do supply said 'quotes' to PR copywriters for this purpose. A professional PR copywriter's chore is to then re-phrase the waffle accordingly. I admit to being a PR pedant and, in that, I am a bit of a dinosaur ... but the term 'solution' is, indeed, one which is frowned upon in 'proper' (to use your term) professional SOLAADS PR copy. Interesting use of an apostrophe in 'PRs' by the way, anon. Maybe you should check your modern dictionary for the correct usage.
P.S. Correct reading of my first missive will reveal that the 'technology / alchemy' reference was a 'mixed metaphor' pun with which to make a point, rather than being a correlation. Enough said. Snigger.