The Marketing Agency Talk

Marketers, copy writers and folks from the creative industry should take a look at the list of interesting buzz words/phrases at Tom Chandler’s Copywriter Underground blog. Here’s just a few that tickled me:

Below Zeros: This is a marketing term, not a temperature. They’re customers who cost more to serve than they return in value. Example: A customer who ties up a salesperson for 45 minutes while trying on 14 pairs of Gucci shoes, then buys a six-pack of tube socks for $1.98, complains about the price and walks out. Also known as BZs.

BZ is a great word to use. Much nicer than calling the client stingy or misery.

spaghetti marketing: To spend marketing dollars randomly without a clear plan, much like throwing spaghetti against the wall to see if it sticks.

Then: “Mr Client, you are wasting your marketing and advertising dollars if you don’t have an inkling what you want.” Usually, the client would be a little agitated and frustrated at this moment, either at his own helplessness or cursing under his breath at our “stupidity”.

Now: “Mr Client, what you are doing now is what we call “spaghetti marketing”. I’m certain that the new terminology will catch his attention. When he is interested to know a bit more, that’s when his mind is open to new understanding and idea. It will be easier to present our thoughts and proposals to him

phenomeniche: A marketing phenomenon that appeals to a small niche. Example: Trading Spaces, the TV series. While not a sweeping global phenomenon, it is the undisputed titan of one modest patch of pop-culture.

Many internet gurus swore by niche marketing. Tom Hua always said it’s better to be the king in a market of 1% of 1,000,000 than a battered soldier in the market of 1,000,000.

Barneyware: The purple dinosaur may have faded from the scene, but his legacy lives on. Barneyware is anything that has little or no substance. Example: A joint press release by two companies that have nothing new to announce, but in order to generate media attention declare their mutual admiration for each other. In effect, the release says nothing more than “I love you, you love me, we’re a happy family.”

Again, another nice word to substitute words like “useless”, “fluffy” or “phony”.

reverbiagized: To reword a concept or proposal with the hope of changing the minds of the people who didn’t like it the first time around. “It’s the same ad campaign, but we reverbiagized it.”

This one surely will get the client’s attention who are so used to “revamp”, “revised”, “re-worked”.

One function of marketing and advertising is to create buzz. I’m sure you folks who are reading this post would not require such buzzwords to make you more credible or trustworthy. However, if these buzzwords can help get the client’s attention to hear you out - regardless if it’s a marketing pitch, sales pitch, creative pitch or copy pitch - you’ll have a higher chance to convince him to look at things from your perspective. It might just open a brand new play ground for both of you.

I will certainly use these buzzwords to get attention when necessary.

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