Guilty of the "all-in-one" here 😅 thank you for writing this, I got new ideas for rewriting my company's messaging. Looking forward to read the one about "platform"
Preach! --I'm reminded how products/flavors/extensions proliferate and bump up against the paradox of choice, and then the pendulum swings the other way and you have this "all in one" garbage. Best to focus on what your company does better than anyone else, and what your customers love you for, and use this clarity to inform strategy.
It's a fascinating and horrifying concept, so prevalent that "Society is crumbling!" has become a sort of joking (in the "This is fine" vein of humor) mantra between my husband and I whenever we encounter an enshittification and wonder about how we got here. I enjoyed reading this article from the journalist who coined it: https://www.ft.com/content/6fb1602d-a08b-4a8c-bac0-047b7d64aba5
Coming right up, although "platform" is SO deeply embedded in tech. If all-in-one is a stubborn weed, platform is like an invasive species that has razed the endemic population lol
Another sizzling hot take, Kira. The all-in-one shampoo had me cackling. It can be so easy to stay in the weeds through a strategy or messaging process and forget to challenge a lot of these tropes. I'm curious your take on getting clients on board from moving away from this language ("platform" included — dear god, let's bury that, too) and shifting to more of a "how" and "why" focused messaging vs. the bloated or meaningless "what" ? I've found success in sharing the language competitors are using as a case to further differentiate, but (to me) a shift in language or words is only the first step in a shift in how you approach messaging at a brand level. Have you ever run into having to change the minds of well-meaning tech founders who think these words help them more than hurt them, and what was successful?
Big +1 on using examples from competitors (or complementary brands that you know the internal team admires). Spending time on taste-making exercises that go beyond "I like/don't like" to get people to practice saying *why* something resonates or doesn't can be a good way to make that type of dialogue more of the norm ahead of actual decision points.
I also think this is the ongoing, crux of the job of the in-house brand operator. To me, it's also important to understand your stakeholders REALLY well (so you can figure out their sticking points, motivations, roles and responsibilities), all of which will help you navigate subjective conversations around what "good" is. I'll likely write a deep dive soon on how I (tactically) do that!
Zoho has been running the 'Your life's work, powered by our life's work' tagline since 2021, long before that Notion campaign...so saying Zoho is "knocking off" Notion isn't true or cool :/
Guilty of the "all-in-one" here 😅 thank you for writing this, I got new ideas for rewriting my company's messaging. Looking forward to read the one about "platform"
I've been there too! Happy to hear it was constructive for you 😁
Preach! --I'm reminded how products/flavors/extensions proliferate and bump up against the paradox of choice, and then the pendulum swings the other way and you have this "all in one" garbage. Best to focus on what your company does better than anyone else, and what your customers love you for, and use this clarity to inform strategy.
Exactly—sharp and succinct, and I guess easier said than done for many brands!
This newsletter is phenomenally excellent. I loved every part of it, but "enshittification" really is the business buzzword we need now.
It's a fascinating and horrifying concept, so prevalent that "Society is crumbling!" has become a sort of joking (in the "This is fine" vein of humor) mantra between my husband and I whenever we encounter an enshittification and wonder about how we got here. I enjoyed reading this article from the journalist who coined it: https://www.ft.com/content/6fb1602d-a08b-4a8c-bac0-047b7d64aba5
I am now interested in your breakdown of platform. This is amazing!
Coming right up, although "platform" is SO deeply embedded in tech. If all-in-one is a stubborn weed, platform is like an invasive species that has razed the endemic population lol
Another sizzling hot take, Kira. The all-in-one shampoo had me cackling. It can be so easy to stay in the weeds through a strategy or messaging process and forget to challenge a lot of these tropes. I'm curious your take on getting clients on board from moving away from this language ("platform" included — dear god, let's bury that, too) and shifting to more of a "how" and "why" focused messaging vs. the bloated or meaningless "what" ? I've found success in sharing the language competitors are using as a case to further differentiate, but (to me) a shift in language or words is only the first step in a shift in how you approach messaging at a brand level. Have you ever run into having to change the minds of well-meaning tech founders who think these words help them more than hurt them, and what was successful?
Big +1 on using examples from competitors (or complementary brands that you know the internal team admires). Spending time on taste-making exercises that go beyond "I like/don't like" to get people to practice saying *why* something resonates or doesn't can be a good way to make that type of dialogue more of the norm ahead of actual decision points.
I also think this is the ongoing, crux of the job of the in-house brand operator. To me, it's also important to understand your stakeholders REALLY well (so you can figure out their sticking points, motivations, roles and responsibilities), all of which will help you navigate subjective conversations around what "good" is. I'll likely write a deep dive soon on how I (tactically) do that!
Zoho has been running the 'Your life's work, powered by our life's work' tagline since 2021, long before that Notion campaign...so saying Zoho is "knocking off" Notion isn't true or cool :/
I stand corrected! Thank you for calling that out.