A Plea For Creativity

Those that have had the pleasure/misfortune (delete as applicable) to know me over the years would testify that I’m a fairly mild-mannered chap, but there are a few seemingly-minor things that are liable to turn my eyes a Voldemort shade of furious red.

Numbered amongst these are the collected works of Gilbert & Sullivan, the fact that the media seems to enjoy turning a procession of talentless nonentities into feted celebrities and the numerous times that the England cricket selectors patently pick the wrong team just to annoy me.

But the thing that makes me want to really spit blood is the use of the word ‘delighted’ in news stories written by my industry peers.

Take a read through a few editions of the Journal Business Daily and you will see how regularly this heinous crime happens.

“But that’s not a big deal”, I hear you cry – let me explain….

A few years ago, The Sun organised a very worthwhile convoy of supplies for people affected by the war in the Balkans, and organised for various companies to help out, by providing the lorries, fuel, food etc.

In return, each of the firms involved got a quote in the double-page spread that the paper ran when the convoy set off – and every single company spokesperson began their quote “We are delighted to….”

OK, so it hardly ranks up there with major crimes like murder or line dancing, but for an industry that is supposed to be creative and ideas-driven, we PRs seem ready to fall back on the D word at almost every available opportunity.

Don’t get me wrong – I have nothing against the word in itself, and the sense of joy it entails fits perfectly for births, weddings and other such life-enhancing events.

But is it not gilding the lily somewhat for it to be used to describe how the MD feels about Smithers joining Bloggs & Co as its new trainee assistant under-manager?!!

There’s no easy alternative – very pleased, happy, enthusiastic or excited, perhaps – and I’m sure I’ve committed this cardinal sin numerous times (though, I would quickly add, not this century).

This rant is really just a plaintive plea to my industry peers for a bit of creativity. Instead of just chucking down the easy option, why not take a bit of time to think about what your client might really benefit from saying and then express these sentiments in words that don’t rely on cliché and hyperbole.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going for a lie-down in a darkened room before I get started on the misuse of apostrophes…

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