In a world that seems to be overrun with marketing and therefore marketing hype, I’d like to share something that bothers me:

I’m tired of everything being prefaced with the word “the” (stick with me, it will make sense in a moment). 

One of marketing’s basic tenets seems to be “show no weakness”.  So there can’t be uncertainty, there can’t be anything but 100% belief that whatever they are selling is the end-all, be-all answer to everything that is wrong with life.  One of its most insidious manifestations is the word “the” in front of everything.  To be a bit of an English nerd here, when you use the word “the” grammatically, it means that there is just one, specific object.  And that creates phrases like this:

• THE best
• THE answer
• THE ten steps to total success and wealth
• THE instant classic (one of my personal favorites – doesn’t classic denote that it stood the test of time?).

What would I rather see besides the word “the”?  I would suggest using the word “a”.  It is a much more humble approach.  I know humility might be the antithesis of marketing, but it has to start somewhere.  Instead of it being the right way, it’s a right way.  It acknowledges that you might not have omnipotent knowledge.

It works with marketing and it works with simply talking to people in your day-to-day life.  I don’t know of anyone who likes to be told what “the” answer is to anything.  We like to decide for ourselves.  If you treat people (and customers are at their core, people) with respect and dignity instead of forcing your opinion down their throat, you’ll get a much better response.  Give them choices, let them know what an option is.

I’m not holding my breath as far as the marketing world is concerned, but I can start with me and the marketing that I do.  I can make sure that when I speak I don't get caught in the trap of thinking I have “the” right answer.  I guess that it is a way of looking at things.  And as the King of Rants, Dennis Miller, used to say, “That’s just my opinion, I could be wrong.”