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Roger White writes:

It is sad to admit this but, as a regular driver on the auto routes of Europe, I have become a bit of a truck-spotter.

Halfway through a boring 1000km drive there is a certain juvenile glee in suddenly crying out “There’s a big Willi” (Betz), or spotting one of thousands of Norberts (Dentresangle). Then there are all those Vos, de Rijk, Patinter, Waberer, Olano and, of course, in the UK, Eddie Stobarts to spot!

However, I have noticed even in the glamour-free world of trucking, meaningless corporate jargon has now become commonplace – any combination of “logistics” “solutions” “delivering” “optimum” “global” painted on the sides of every possible type of truck.

Remember that word game from the 90s? You picked random words from a long list to make up a new corporate buzz phrase. Well, it is now living on the tail gates of the world’s Logistics Solutions Providers.

I am not having a go at truckers, but lets be honest, what they do is move “stuff” from A to B. The rest of it, as one of my clients says, is marketing BS.

It is not just truckers. Once upon a time all accountancy firms delivered audit and accounting services and every one knew what they did. Post Enron, and in a rush to avoid their market place being restricted by new regulations, they all suddenly discovered the exciting world of Assurance – but what does it really mean?

Similarly, the IT marketplace has long been the home of technical jargon designed to confuse and baffle those who are not true insiders – usually the customer!

And in the HR field the buzz word “de jour” is Engagement.

Whatever industry or sector you are in there will be meaningless jargon attempting to illustrate differentiation and encapsulate your corporate ethos and culture.

As a marketing man I am not against tag lines. I admit one of my own clients is using the “solutions” word. And I love bold statements that do sum up a business personality – “Just Do It” as they say.

But what I do want is a return to proper use of language – just say what it does on the tin and get some meaning back into what we do and say.

Do I phone a haulier and ask for an “optimum logistics solution”? I doubt a Board has ever said “we need help with our assurance”. And no employee of mine has ever said “I need more engagement with you” – they have usually been a lot more blunt about things!

And that is my point. If you tell it as it is – this is what we do and this is how you, my client, benefit from working with us. I believe that you will have instant differentiation from most of the jargon-addicts you compete with.

Try speaking the same language as your customers and see how your relationship with them becomes warmer, closer and more profitable. Oh, and by the way, we are in Reputation Marketing – that’s exactly what we do for our clients, use marketing techniques to enhance or protect corporate reputation, so no jargon there, then?

Roger White is Managing Director of Pendry White