My friend and colleague CT Moore and I were talking about the most effective way to write a particular press release when he made the following comment:
“Unfortunately, the decline of Western civilization (for which the filed of marketing is partly responsible) has made it necessary to write for a 9 year old.”
This comment really made me laugh, because as a writer and marketer, I’m constantly reminded of just how true it really is.
Sure, there are a variety of exceptionally intelligent people out there. But, when you’re writing for a mass audience, you’re most often writing for the lowest common denominator within that group. And marketing is all about writing for mass – albeit targeted – audiences.
The best marketing campaign in the world can still miss its mark if you’re audience doesn’t understand what you’re talking about. You want to be creative and clever, but don’t ever forget that there’s a fine line between effective and “I don’t get it.”
As a marketing writer, it’s important to remember that it’s not about how smart you can sound – it’s about making sure your message is received and understood by your market.
The phenomenon kinda reminds me of something Mao said (which is fitting given the whole “market socialism” thing in China):
“All our literature and art are for the masses of the people, and in the first place for the workers, peasants and soldiers; they are created for the workers, peasants, and soldiers and for their use.”
Unfortunately, too many politicians “market” using the same tactics. Talk down to the public, speak to the lowest common denominator, and for heaven’s sake don’t ever come across as being smarter than the general population! I’m tired of politicians using “I’m just like you” campaign strategies. Frankly, the country’s problems are complicated, and I’d prefer if the person in charge was as smart as possible; smarter than me, certainly.
In the States, Bush did it shamelessly and honestly; Palin made it into an art form. Obama is less guilty but even he talks down to certain audiences. Here in Canada, I’m tired of politicians who seem to think that we can’t absorb a message that isn’t an attack ad. Harper, Dion, Charest or Marois, it makes little difference; they all revert to their ten-second soundbyte in lieu of actually discussing any issues.
If we are being talked to like idiots – by politicians or by marketers or both – we have nobody to blame but ourselves. In both cases, we can vote – with our votes or with our wallets – for those who are smart and who treat us with respect, and we can refuse to endorse those who aren’t and who don’t. We have a lot of power as consumers and as citizens, and it’s up to us to use it.
Hi there, really enjoying your style – good to have you in the blogosphere – you aren’t just talkin to yourself!
I’d say that the lesson should be that you must write for your audience. And that sometimes, writing for a nine year-old reading level is precisely the wrong thing to do.
Imagine writing web copy for a company like SAP at that level, or for almost any B2B company. The copy would miss its target by a light year; it may actually offend.
Writing down to the audience also risks oversimplification. The challenge then is not to simplify, but to clarify.
Most newspapers today write for a seventh-grade vocabulary. This is a trend that has been going on for decades, and we are now at the point where journalists are becoming hamstrung in their efforts to communicate vital ideas.
It is up to individual writers to make intelligent choices for their audiences.
Thanks for the great info. I hope you’ll follow this with some more great content.
Delighted by the conversation that this post sparked. When I started blogging, I hoped I’d make my audience think… But I had no idea just how much my audience would make ME think! It’s really fabulous. Keep it up, guys!