Reminder: There are 4 things that make a message work™: When your message is customer-centric, clear, compelling, and controlled. The opposite of these are The 4 ways your message works against you: When it’s vain, vague, dull, and undisciplined.
It means you’re more interested in yourself than in your customer. And more interested in what you think than what your customer thinks. So you (your company, product, service, etc.) are always the focus, the topic, and the central theme. You decide context. You disregard contention. You draw the conclusions.
Let’s do the expected here and pull up the official dictionary definition. Given my agenda to paint a negative picture (what’s positive about vanity, anyway?), I found the most extensive vain-bashing in Noah Webster’s An American Dictionary of the English Language, published in 1828.
Definitions of vain:
I typically think of vain in the sense of #3 and #5. But check out those other meanings. They all speak to the impact of vanity (or the lack thereof): empty, worthless, ineffectual, empty, unreal, worthless, empty, deceitful. Ol’ Noah got repetitive there, but I like the emphasis.
Being vain in your messaging can be the same as being:
You’ve run into vain people before. People who talk about themselves incessantly. People who use big words on purpose to make themselves sound smart. People who always seem like they’re trying to get something from you.
How does this make you feel? Like you’re less than them? Like they don’t really respect or care about you? So you don’t trust ’em, right?
Sadly, egotistical behavior is even more common in organizations than it is in individuals. (Just look at most of the marcomm out there.)
A vain message makes your audience feel:
Simply put, if you’re vain, you’re not winning anybody over. You might even be turning people away. That’s why vain is one of The 4 ways your message works against you. The good news is, it’s a sin you can avoid.
“Vain is equivalent to empty.”
Chamfort
Vain communication is communication that suffers from a lack of humility. Maybe you’ve never thought about it, but you’ve probably witnessed the causes and the effects.
I’m sure you don’t mean to be vain. Nor do your colleagues. Still, be on the listen-out for these Uh-oh Utterances:
“Let’s talk about our company’s history and growth. It shows we’re established and reliable.”
“We need to emphasize our awards and honors. So people see how successful we are.”
“Can we make the logo bigger?”
“Let’s show our facility, so people get a sense of our capacity and scale.”
“Include a picture of our founders. They’re well respected, plus it humanizes us.”
“Our team is highly experienced. Let’s focus on their qualifications.”
“We beat the competition all day long. This has to be our point of emphasis.”
“We need to tell our story.”
“More features than any other solution on the market… that’s what we need to tout.”
“Be sure to throw in a mention about our entire product line.”
“Our technology is the most advanced in the industry. Highlight that in every message.”
“We’ve got to make people understand why we’re better.”
Following are some vain messages… and how a customer might react to them.
The whole “we are” trend in advertising is sooo vain. Maybe it started with “We are Marshall” (which had deep meaning). But then the copycats had to go off and declare “We are Farmers” and “We are professional grade” and even presumptively claim ownership of entire categories like “We are innovation.” We are… sick of it.
I don’t care how clever your visuals are. If you’re claiming that I don’t have any other choice but your product, I’m not entertained. I guess ketchup and humble pie do not go together.
Ambulance chasing is a me-too category. So their approach is to de-emphasize the “too” and emphasize the “me.” So you get “I’m tough.” “No, I’M tough.” Like posturing little children all along the freeway.
This is the biggest overpromise I can imagine. It’s so preposterous, I can’t even get into it. But wait… could it be an inside joke? Like, you read this prideful pronouncement, and then you see this little animal icon that says “Bull.”
Did you notice that each one of those messages is about the messenger? They’re basically talking to themselves. As if the creative brief said “Target audience: Us.”
A vain message promotes the messenger. It’s self-loving and self-promotional. Or it might use real fancy language to show off some smarts.
A message that’s vain is:
A message that’s vain uses:
In a great deal of marketing communications, the most common subject of sentences is the first-person plural pronoun. But as Douglas Burdett warns, you don’t want to “we all over yourself.”
Verbal signs that your message is vain:
We think of a vain person as somebody who can’t walk by a mirror without lovingly beholding their image. Well, that’s not the kind of mirror your communication should be. So check yourself: Are your visuals always showing your buildings, products, or people? Do you always want your logo just a little bigger?
Visual signs that your message is vain:
As the saying goes, “It ain’t braggin’ if it’s true.” If you’ve got an exclusive claim, then you should claim it.
Now I’m not talking about assertions like “Memphis’ best barbecue” (every barbecue place in Memphis claims that).
I’m talking about a superlative that’s irrefutable and relevant. “The first cure for ovarian cancer.” “Charleston’s only honky-tonk.” “Works five times faster than anything else.” These are measurable claims of distinction — a powerful combination of clear and compelling.
Deciding if a message is vain isn’t always easy. There are esoterics and exceptions. Sometimes, you need an expert judgment call. That’s when it’s good to ask for help.
The opposite of a vain message is a message that’s customer-centric. One that’s about the audience.
Customer-centric is one of the 4 things that make a message work. If you want to know what makes a message effective, find out how to make your message customer-centric.
Being vain is the opposite of what makes a message effective. Do you agree or disagree with these assertions? Hit me with your cheers and challenges.
Ready to prove or disprove the notion that vain is a message-strategy nemesis? Send me some examples.
Your input can help me refine the principles of message strategy, which in turn can help others.
Are you creating sales playbooks? An ad campaign? A tagline? How would you rate your own messaging in terms of being vain?
Need to ensure adoption of your sales program, new product offering, or company strategy? Let’s talk.
