Words. Rudyard Kipling has eloquently expressed the power behind words. Whether words be magnified as a single element. Whether words be assembled into a compelling sentence. Whether words can be orchestrated into a complex or simple array of narratives or messages that arrests the mind of the reader. Oftentimes, the most trivial of word selection can affect the performance of an advertising campaign.

In my experience, I have witnessed countless companies, big and small, waste their marketing budgets on pathetic strategies to drive sales. Sure the commercial resembles an HD film production, yet the funds devoted to such a project yielded far fewer dollars.

I usually don’t divulge the names of my clients to maintain confidentiality. One of my former clients is a very well known restaurant chain. This client’s intent was to increase sales of its cultured menu, specifically, burritos. Personally, I enjoyed the taste of their tacos, MORE, than their burritos. Besides, the burrito market is more complex in terms of differentiation and demand. The print advertising campaign that my team developed, targets the EXPECTATIONS from consuming a taco. Not just the lure of a technologically advanced media product.

I persuaded the company to change ONE WORD on its menu. The former word implied a painful experience when eating a taco – Not a satisfying one. The new word implied a ‘fun’ sensation when eating their tacos. Sales of their tacos increased, resulting in progressive ordering of more menu items, including beverages. A surplus of more items being ordered, as well as more continued visitations.

As we all should know, word of mouth can be devastating or profitable within the restaurant sector. What’s the most important lesson from this particular journal entry? Don’t complicate or bankrupt your business by introducing unnecessary expenditures in order to impress the public, your friends or even colleagues. Remember, Mario Lemieux had one of the most direct and powerful slapshots – Which made it into the goal net.