B_ _ _ D_ _G IS A DIRTY WORD!

There are some commonly accepted premises as to what would constitute a ‘dirty’ word. According to Steve Jobs however, two words we speak consistently of, are detestable and dirty- Branding and Marketing. In an interview with Behance’s Scott Belsky, former Apple VP of Worldwide Marketing Communication, Allison Johnson, revealed that Apple preferred to deny words, when it came to describing what it did best. When do words like selling become crude? It is not about the words themselves but the meanings they connote. Some people might take ‘sell’ to mean that you are providing someone with a product or service that might betray in quality, might be far less in value than what’s demanded or shipping off something to someone with profit being the only selling sentiment. When you are educating someone about the product and helping them to use it to the full extent, it is just a glorified barter, that’s mutually beneficial. If you take it to mean that your product does not appeal to the public without constant reminders of its existence, ‘branding’ is also a dirty word. However, branding can also be seen as a gesture of reassurance to your faithful customers. It is all about perception. Words are deceptive and multifaceted. They can be taken to mean whatever you want them to. Words that once described animals are dirty words now. So think of negative connotations and have a cup half empty or think of positive connotations and have a glass half full. If you still think branding is dirty, just remember that sometimes, you have to get your hands dirty, to survive in a world of competitive marketing.