Populism is here. And it's difficult to see when it'll end. Its success is due to people using impressive words to not say very much. Empty soundbites have blindly led us into chaos and a deluge of nothingness.
My catchphrase in creative reviews and governance meetings is, "but what does it mean?". Whenever I read marketing copy, I'm struck by how little it says, not just in word or character count, but in general.
When a poster says, "IT solution", I think, "so what?" You've not told me what problem it's going to solve.
When a website says, "best in class", I think, "what class and what's it measured against?"
When a TV ad says, "You do you", I think "what, in the name of all that is good, does that mean?"
There are countless examples. You just need to look online or tear yourself away from your smartphone for two seconds to look at the posters on the Tube.
Talking without saying anything is the same as travelling without moving. You think you're going somewhere, achieving something, but in reality, you're not going anywhere or doing anything.
Doing it in copywriting is one thing. It wastes a reader's time and leaves them cold, as it garners more questions or total apathy.
Forget all the standard marketing trite you're accustomed to hearing and reading.
The stuff we robotically churn out as we sleep-write one ingrained line after the other.
It doesn't harm anyone. People may unwittingly part with cash, cost the company money and needlessly pollute the environment. But no real harm is done.
When this tactic is used by journalists, politicians and cultural icons, it takes a darker turn.
Trump talks without saying anything. He makes bombastic statements. That's all.
The Brexit argument is littered with meaningless soundbites, like "take back control", "Brexit means Brexit" and "will of the people".
This phenomenon is seen everywhere. Trolls on Twitter, celebrities on Twitter, journalists on Twitter and the general public on current affairs programming.
It's time we took back control of language and spoke when we have something to say and it's substantiated.
The world would be a better place if we all followed the rules of copywriting 101.
