Anger! Jargon

The company had established hundreds, maybe thousands, of acronyms for its products, services, and divisions over the years. It had dug itself into a linguistic hole and was buried in terms incomprehensible to anyone outside the organization.

It's easy for insiders to become blind and deaf to company jargon. The result is a brand's identity becomes obscured by meaningless, invented terms.

When you repeatedly use a phrase, term, or brand name, you tend to shorten it. Without real awareness of the abbreviation's growing currency, you've created a second brand name. The most obvious example of this evolution is Coke. Cola drinkers and company employees created the short version of the brand name Coca-Cola. It's been used internally and externally for over 20 years. Result? The Coca-Cola Company fights an ongoing dual-brand challenge.

Coke has become a familiar word. It's a special case. What about ADT, PPT, DET, ADI, and FTI? All are brand names used internally at various companies. Can you guess what they represent?

Using abbreviations internally carries the risk of communicating them externally. Internal company jargon kills the clarity of a brand's voice. Ever visited a financial or insurance company site, scrolled down a massive list of options, and wondered what the heck terms meant? Have you ever asked yourself, "What on earth does that mean?" when you've come across an obscure word on a site? Found yourself wondering how to identify your needs against a set of seemingly inadequate and alien site options? I've certainly had these experiences. They usually frustrate me so much, I give up on the offender and proceed to another company's site.

Now that aside - another aspect is creating a major chasm between the consumer and your brand - the legal disclaimers. Tell me - how often do you in fact read the long-winded legal disclaimer following the software you purchase. You know the one where you typically scroll down to the very bottom where you need to tick a box and move on to install the software? Or what about those two paragraph clauses more or less decorating any email pumped out of any larger company? Not to forget the legal disclaimers imbedded in everything from tickets, warranties, and product instructions - well even how to operate my shower handle at home?

The fact is that this new intruding language - is not and will never be there for the customer's sake - in fact it is in many ways the same as negotiating your divorce before you're even married. But in the battle of the heat we're all grabbed with the anti friendly consumer behavior - creating a distance between those who pays our salaries (the customers in case you forgot) and our brand.

Your internal world is very different from the world outside. You're 100 percent focused, 24 hours a day, every day on your branch of expertise. Your customers hardly give you any thought. It's only natural you're infinitely more familiar with your territory and its language than any of your customers. Problem is, lots of companies forget this obvious fact. They use "advanced internal language" on Web sites, in brochures, and even in ads.

Your job as a brand manager is to keep a watchful eye on terms and phrases used in your branding to avoid finding yourself in a situation in which your brand literally speaks to your customers in a language they can't understand.

I'm referring to all your language, including that on your navigation panel, in offerings categories, and on forms. Forget about any internal jargon in communications. Instead, ask consumers what they would call each of your services, how they would categorize them, and how they would like you to talk about them. Go even further - ask them to re-write you legal jargon too. If you're hesitant it might be because you already now know that the consumer wont stand a fair chance of understanding one word. If that's the case may I ask you what went wrong? The case is if you annihilate your customers, make them feel dumb or let's say less intelligent - or even worse - make them feel that you (dear brand owner) have a hidden agenda - you're about to dilute your brand.

Legal stuff, privacy warnings, disclaimers, and all the other necessary accouterments for today's brand communication are here to stay, no matter how much we prefer to avoid them. They don't have to be written in an understandable - non-human language, as if the documents were only going to be read by lawyers. Regardless of whether we're private consumers or businesspeople, we all like to be treated as human beings. If you can convert your legal documents into easy, fun-to-read pieces, you'll break down a barrier between you and prospective business that 99.9 percent of your competitors won't have cracked. The achievement makes your brand more human. It enhances mutual understanding and even empathy between your brand and its customers. Isn't that the essence of good branding?

Would you hire a lawyer to craft your branding campaign? Unlikely. Why allow an attorney to control your brand's all-important tone of voice? Let your brand speak. You can achieve the same legal protection and, at the same time, build that brand.

Customers will feel your brand is speaking their language, not a company-invented dialect comprehensible only to insiders and experts...and lawyers not to forget Good branding is about constantly talking your consumers' language.