 | It's always been a bit of a standing joke: Americans don't get British humour. There's plenty of evidence to support this, not least that US remakes of comedy classics such as Men Behaving Badly, The Young Ones and The Inbetweeners are almost always inferior to their British originals. In particular, Americans don't seem to understand sarcasm. |
Recent events in the USA – you know what I'm taking about – seem to have proved this point definitively. (At least if we take that man's explanation at face value and not as an outright lie.)
Described by Oscar Wilde, as "the lowest form of wit but the highest form of intelligence", sarcasm arguably has its place in effective communication – when it's between people who know each other inside-out, and accompanied by a tilted head, folded arms and a knowing (withering) stare. And, a certain Kiwi brewery has made many a commuter chuckle with its "yeah, right" billboards over the years. However, in the vast majority of cases, the same rules about physical distancing at COVID-19 Alert Level 4 should be applied to sarcasm and your marketing communications.
The reasons are obvious. Sarcasm instantly muddles the message you're trying to share, which leads to potential misunderstandings, which leads to potentially costly repercussions – both in terms of lost income, and time and money spent undoing the damage.
Described by Oscar Wilde, as "the lowest form of wit but the highest form of intelligence", sarcasm arguably has its place in effective communication – when it's between people who know each other inside-out, and accompanied by a tilted head, folded arms and a knowing (withering) stare. And, a certain Kiwi brewery has made many a commuter chuckle with its "yeah, right" billboards over the years. However, in the vast majority of cases, the same rules about physical distancing at COVID-19 Alert Level 4 should be applied to sarcasm and your marketing communications.
The reasons are obvious. Sarcasm instantly muddles the message you're trying to share, which leads to potential misunderstandings, which leads to potentially costly repercussions – both in terms of lost income, and time and money spent undoing the damage.
| It's even worse if you try to incorporate sarcasm into your written communications. Any subtly or nuance is immediately lost when there are only the words on paper or on-screen. You can never guarantee that the tone in which you write an e-mail is the tone in which it will be read. In fact, sod's law dictates that if something can be misconstrued, it will be. |  |
Which is why, when we receive an e-mail or text saying, "That's fine" or "OK", we may have a moment of doubt about whether that's really the case. (Plus, of course, when your partner tells you "Everything's fine" obviously it's not!)
So, make life easier for everyone by keeping your marketing message simple, clear and concise. Whether face-to-face (virtually or in person), spoken over the phone or written, make sure you use jargon-free everyday language and try to see from your customer's perspective.
Oh, and don't inject yourself with disinfectant, obviously…
So, make life easier for everyone by keeping your marketing message simple, clear and concise. Whether face-to-face (virtually or in person), spoken over the phone or written, make sure you use jargon-free everyday language and try to see from your customer's perspective.
Oh, and don't inject yourself with disinfectant, obviously…
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