Banish the Bandwagon, Please.
Every five to ten years, tech gets a hype-y, must-use buzzword that marketers insist on cramming into every line of copy.
First, It Was Cloud.
The mandate: Get “cloud” into all the headlines. Add cloud photography to the booth, the web, the display ads. More clouds!
Remember the SNL More Cowbell skit?
I had a cowbell on my desk, and every time someone told me to “add more cloud,” I’d pull off my best Christopher Walken impression:
“I gotta have more CLOUD-bell, baby!”
Here’s the thing: The cowbell worked in that song because it was rare. It stood out. But if every song led with cowbell, it would just be noise. That’s exactly what happened with cloud. The hype drowned out the meaning, and people stopped listening.
Next Up: Digital Transformation (Thanks, Gartner).
Oh, Digital Transformation. Every tech company had to say it. Every product somehow enabled it. And yet, the more it was used, the less it meant.
At first, maybe it was useful—shorthand for moving from outdated systems to something modern. But then the buzzword machine kicked in, and suddenly, it was everywhere.
You couldn’t sit through a conference without hearing it 100 times. But what did it actually mean?
- Adopting the cloud?
- DevOps and automation?
- Letting employees work from their phones so they could work all the time?
Depends on who you asked. Because Digital Transformation meant everything and nothing at the same time. Eventually, people just tuned out.
And Now? AI. Obviously.
It’s impossible to find a company that isn’t AI-powered, AI-enabled, or AI-something. Even if they aren’t, they’re still going to say it. Because, well… everyone else is.
We came up with a series of ridiculous fictitious AI-y company names for this blog’s image—and wouldn’t you know it? One of them was real. A digital marketing agency, no less.
Here’s how they described themselves:
“Discover AI-powered marketing solutions and business automation tools at [Agency Name]. We help businesses grow faster with cutting-edge AI strategies, custom automation, and data-driven insights. Transform your business with [Company Name].”
Let’s break this down:
✔ AI-powered
✔ Business automation
✔ Cutting-edge AI strategies (ugh)
✔ Custom automation
✔ Data-driven insights (double ugh)
✔ Transform your business (ding ding ding—it’s a Digital Transformation callback!)
If AI didn’t write that copy, I don’t know what to say.
More importantly, remove the word “marketing,” and this could be any tech company. It’s the same AI-laden, jargon-packed garbage we’ve all heard a thousand times before.
Real Messaging Isn’t About Buzzwords.
Compelling messaging doesn’t happen by jumping on the latest bandwagon. It happens when companies take the time to understand what customers actually value—and talk about THAT.
So, say it with me now:
✅ I will not overuse AI-blah blah blah.
✅ I will take the time to understand the real problems my customers are trying to solve.
✅ I will focus on what actually matters, not what’s trending.
The world doesn’t need more AI-powered AI accelerating AI for AI-first enterprises. It needs companies that actually listen.
Ready to run from run-of-the-mill?
We’ll help you craft a story that means something and stands out—so you don’t get pulled into the sea of samey-same sameness.