Social Media: Killing the Language of Hype

Marketing spin, hyperbole, and general marketing noise. We’re victims of it, some of us produce it, and I admit my guilt here as a communicator. We see such hype and spin not just in daily consumer advertising, but in industry-analyst relations, start-ups pitching VC’s and internal corporate communications. Is the age-old “language of spin and hype” changing? Perhaps this is one of the first truly visible/measurable signs of the impact of Social Media on our language and social/business (sociobusiness?) interactions.

Consider this post on the Sagecircle blog discussing the hype lingo of companies (vendors) towards analysts and the analysts saying “stop! cut the silly words and talk real business!” and then there’s the award winning Bad Pitch Blog helping PR pro’s avoid the hype-strung nonsense pitches that journalists can’t stand. There are similar blogs and micro-blogs that carry on similar conversations.

Traditionally, marketing channels have been one-way and the message was easily controlled.  There was little ability for those receiving the message to respond on the nature of the message. Until Social Media arrived. The blogs above are the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the receivers saying “I don’t like the way you’ve been speaking to me. I don’t like your lingo and claims, please change. Or I’m not going to listen to you.” And the receivers won’t listen. They are increasingly ignoring such language. For marketers and PR pro’s it will be harder to get their message out as hype words immediately result in “File Under G” by analysts and researchers.

Certainly this is not “quantitative” data, but “qualitative”, but it is hard to measure language and behavioural change compared to most business metrics. We believe however, that such comments by receivers that they aren’t buying traditional hype, hyperbole or spin is leading to a significant change in how businesses will communicate not only with analysts, reporters and researchers, but with consumers as well.

Are we at the dawn of a new style of “spin”? How will marketing and PR language have to change? Is it a good thing? We think it is, since companies will have to stand on fact and evidence. This forces greater attention to delivering true value to the end-user. What do you think?