The simple power of just saying what you mean

The graphic above was posted by one of our favorite Marketing Twitter follows, @Suzannepope. Her point is, obviously, that euphemisms and flabby language are relatively ineffective.

If you want people to do something you should tell them or show them specifically what you want them to do – clearly and unambiguously.  It creates for them a “consumption vision,” which is a mental image of the behavior and its consequences.

By contrast, you can see the approach that some mayors in Italy are taking.  This compilation – and these are real messages from real mayors – shows the difference between milquetoast messages like “Practice Social Distancing” and a more direct approach (“You are not Will Smith in I am Legend. You have to go home.”) 

At this point, a lot of cities and states in the US have legally forbidden people from congregating in public. However, prior to that (at least where we live and probably elsewhere) parking lots outside restaurants and other “non-essential” business were still pretty full. One wonders if more pointed language would have helped keep more people inside more quickly and limited the spread of the virus.