London’s Links: Humor trumps b2b marketing jargon, etc.
Saturday, February 9th, 2008Great ideas here for many of us who market B2B offerings.
Taking the Jargon Out of Your Business by Wendy Bounds, WSJ: http://blogs.wsj.com/independentstreet/2008/01/31/taking-the-jargon-out-of-your- business/
We hear a lot from Indy Street readers about how hard it is for business-to-business shops to drum up media interest and buzz.
Writes one frustrated BtoBer: “Many of us provide sophisticated services and/or products. And that’s where our real challenges lie. How can we get some market exposure without having a big marketing and PR budget, or working with a pricey advertising/PR firm? Let me give you an insight … it’s tough!”
To those folks, I point out today’s Business Technology blog, which highlights how a software-maker named Tibco, broke out of its jargon-riddled, hard-to-understand, sophisticated niche with.
It’s a good example, because what Tibco sells – service-oriented architecture software – couldn’t sound more boring. But this self-deprecating video turns the jargon on its head.
Those who know me know that I’m a believer in this. Fantastic that someone’s built a consulting practice around helping major corporations lighten up as a path to innovation.
Why You Should Include a Joker in Every Brainstorming Session:
http://www.fastcompany.com/articles/2007/11/interview-morreall.html?partn er=rss
The Fast Interview: John Morreall on the link between humor and innovation, why authoritarian bosses fear humor, and the funniest CEO in America.
From: FastCompany.com | November 2007 | By: Kermit Pattison
John Morreall, a professor at the College of William and Mary, is the founder of Humorworks, a consulting firm for companies such as AT&T, Cisco Systems, IBM and Time Warner. He has written four books on humor and is working on a new one titled “Funny Business” with New Yorker cartoon editor Bob Mankoff.
You say that humor increases productivity, reduces conflict, and fosters change. Is this a joke?
Humor is healthy, especially the way it reduces stress. Humor is the opposite of fight-or-flight emotions — especially fear and anger. I can’t be laughing with you and angry or afraid of you at the same time.