Hot Take: 10 Overused Marketing Phrases That Need to Be Abolished

If you pay attention to ads long enough, you’re going to see some really cringey shit. Who among us hasn’t seen a ‘too big to fail’ brand offer “deals so good it’s scary” at Halloween? On the one hand, I get it. Household names like Coca-Cola and anything Johnson & Johnson don’t need to impress us; they only need to remind us why we need them. But on the other hand, your marketing budget is the GDP of Djibouti and you’re wishing your customers a “hoppy Easter?” Come on!

Most small- to medium-size businesses tend to hold themselves to a high standard when it comes to marketing content. They have to stand out—in a positive way. They have tighter budgets to use to remain top of mind. And, therefore, they have to tip-toe around the eye-roll-inducing and incredibly boring marketing language.

Words and Phrases That You Should Avoid

In a time and market where there is increased demand for brand personality and “authenticity”—you know, whatever that means—it’s more important than ever to tailor your marketing content to your brand. One of the easiest ways to accomplish this is to avoid common promotional phrases and words. In my professional opinion, these are 10 of the worst offenders:

1. Award-winning

If you find yourself writing that your product, service or company is “award-winning,” stop. The truth is that there are three zillion awards out there, and many of them are granted based on self-nominations. When you feel inclined to call out your accolades, mention them specifically. Doesn’t “Toy of the Year 2023” sound way better than “award-winning toy?”

2. Best-in-class

Be honest: what the hell does “best-in-class” even mean? It’s not an official designation and people know it. The way you become “best-in-class” is by saying you are “best-in-class.” As a former “gifted” student who annoyed many a peer asking things like, “What’s the maximum word count on this paper?” I can confirm that no one even likes the best in the class. If you have data to back up that you’re the top option in the market, use that instead. The same applies to “state-of-the-art” and “cutting-edge.” Boo!

3. But wait

Any variation of this phrase has got to go. I would expect to hear a Midwestern man voicing, “But wait, there’s more,” in a 1994 infomercial, but it’s the 2020s. And I can guarantee you that, while Gen Z is bringing high-waisted jeans and bucket hats back from the dead, they won’t be reanimating this marketing phrase from the turn-of-the-century zeitgeist. (Sorry, Ron Ponpeil.) If there’s more, just say what else there is to say.

4. Innovative

Do I even need to spend time on this one? Every tech start-up on the planet is “innovative.” It simply means that you’ve created a new idea, product or service. Which, cool? I guess? But innovative has a connotation of “ground-breaking” or “avant-garde,” and just because you built a $70 toaster that sears your selfie onto a piece of bread doesn’t mean you’re “cutting-edge.” (Every quoted phrase in this paragraph can go.)

5. Just for you

Sigh. If you are engaging in marketing, then you’re casting a wide net to reach as many people as possible. Whereas sales is usually one-to-one, marketing is one-to-many. (More on the difference between marketing and sales!) So, I’m willing to guess that none of your marketing is personalized so much that what you’re saying is catered to one person. Your customers are smart and they know that “just for you” is a bullshit phrase to help you sell more stuff. Let them decide if what you have to promote is “for them.”

6. Outside the box

This phrase has the same energy as those TikToks where millennial parents are like, “My family is so crazy,” but it’s just their seven-year-old doing a bad rendition of the “Cuff It” dance in Target. Those people don’t truly understand what “crazy” means, and 99.9% of companies who say they offer something “outside of the box” don’t understand what that means either. Unless you have a sincerely never-before-seen product, service or idea, you are almost certainly inside the box.

7. Synergy

As far as I am concerned, “synergy” is the “moist” of the marketing world. I know what it means, and it’s a solid word with a good purpose, but I really hate hearing it. You rarely hear this on the frontend of marketing—in content that faces the consumer—but you hear it all the time on the backend, where marketers meet around tech-enabled boardroom tables to squeak ideas onto a whiteboard. It feels outdated, and I’d much rather see “teamwork” or “harmony” or even “symbiosis” for Christ’s sake.

8. Unique

Everything is unique. Even identical twins are unique. If I had a magic wand, I would wipe this word out of the English language entirely. Your customers would rather hear about your “sock-filtered cold brew” than your “unique cup of coffee.” It really says nothing. Although “unique” is objectively worse than “one-of-a-kind,” I would advise clients not to use it either.

9. Utilize

For the love of all things good in this world, please say “use.” Trust me that “utilize” does not enhance or elevate your message in any way.

10. We can help

Maybe this is more of a personal pet peeve, but when a company presents a problem and then says, “We can help,” I think, “Well, yes, I assumed.” You don’t present a challenge you can’t solve. That would be bonkers. The phrase makes it uncomfortably clear that you are trying to convince me of something, which makes me less inclined to trust your brand. Again, if you can help me, then help me. Otherwise, I need to go back to Google to find another brand who can.

Content Marketing That Doesn’t Suck

I’ve said it many times before, but marketing isn’t that hard. However, it does take a lot of time, energy and effort, especially if you want to attract attention and measurably elevate your brand. Anyone can tell you that their product “gets results,” but it takes a creative copywriter or marketing strategist to spin your story in a more compelling way. 

If you need to stand out, give a marketing agency partner a go. We’ve seen all of the wince-worthy words and phrases you can imagine, so we know what’s going to go against the grain in a good way. Give us a call or send us an email and let’s chat!