Sticky Content | Digital copywriting

Still sitting on my desk is the show guide from the recent Online Marketing Show 2007. Browsing through the little blurb which each exhibitor gets to introduce themselves, I was struck by the dreadful similarity of the language in each one.

Every other exhibitor referred to themselves as a "search marketing solutions provider", a "search engine marketing specialist", a "digital marketing agency", or an "online marketing agency". Every other exhibitor also said that they were "leaders" or "leading" in what they do/offer.

This provokes a few obvious thoughts:

• Why are all these descriptions so vague? What does it say about an organisation if it can't provide a specific and meaningful summary of what it does in a few words?
• Isn't marketing about standing out from the crowd? Aren't all these companies marketing specialists of one sort or another? If they can't distinguish themselves in their market, why would a potential client believe they'd do any better in their market?
• Surely "leader"/"leading" implies being first? Surely these companies can't all be first? Years of providing copy for financial institutions to put before their Legal & Compliance people have taught us to avoid words like "leading" altogether, because they are almost invariably used by organisations that can't substantiate them. After all, if I was the leader, why wouldn't I just say "number one"?

You might argue that these blurbs are not that important, but reading them is still the way many visitors pick their route round a show. Besides, we frequently found similar wording on exhibitors' stands and websites too.

It's certainly going to make us look again at our wording. Like just about everyone else, we can do better.