In the past few months I have repeatedly pointed out during personal conversations, that communications processes taking place without spoken or written words do not create the expected reaction. Most of my conversation partners were too courteous too disagree, when we spoke about this topic. However, I think it is imperative to continuously review the ongoing communications processes in regard to the written and spoken word and to work on a lasting brand communication with a convincing language in words.

More than ever it depends on what brands stand for and also on the benefit the products on sale offer.

At least in the First World the economy produces a lot more products than the consumers really needs. Closets are full, streets are overloaded with cars, people eat and drink a lot more than they should. Consumption in the First World is increasingly reaching its limit. He, who still wants to sell successfully, has to speak and argue for his products, as to why one’s own product should be preferred to that of the competition.

Communications processes with the spoken and written word force us to think about what brands, products and one’s own performance stand for in total.

The much complimented and often substituted visual language naturally has its function and meaning. However, within the product and brand world it cannot replace the word. An own project group within the company should take on the necessary communications processes for products and brands.

You know that I am not a big fan of project groups, because I am of the opinion that more time than necessary is spent in meetings. But in this case I think such an operations unit could be promising and profitable in the end.

Peter F. Drucker once said, there is no competition, there are only better products. This has a lot of truth to it. However, how do I communicate to the customer that my product is the better product, if not through language? Only the spoken and written word can be the solution here.

During the revision and determination of your own “language” for your brands, for your products, for your company, it is imperative to emphasize the difference to what the competition has to offer. Are you no longer able to do that, you should seriously think about eliminating these brands or products from your range of supply. And should this be the case with new brands and products, then make sure that you can express in words what makes these products superior. This is also the simplest way for “me-too-products” not even to see the light of day.

I asked David Ogilvy, who was aside from Bill Bernbach one of the  most successful American ad writers of the past century and founder of the world famous ad agency Ogilvy & Mather, who I knew more than just an acquaintance, why he always wrote such detailed text in his ads and why he also asked that of his staff members. His answer: „Before I became ad writer and boss of an ad agency, I was a market researcher and as market researcher I was told by the customer again and again how important it is to say and write something about the product one tries to sell“. I think what Ogilvy found out decades ago as market researcher the people would still tell him today.

The word is irreplaceable.