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Similar to "Who Needs Linguistics?" presented to the Applied Linguistics Society at Birkbeck College London
"Who Needs Linguistics?" presented to the Applied Linguistics Society at Birkbeck College London
- 1. Who Needs Linguists? @verbid 31stJanuary 2014
- 2. An exercise forthe audience 31st January 2014 What happened here?
- 3. Case Study: DecliningPerformance 31st January 2014 Language Keeps Changing… • A client had based their marketing on the word “performance” for many years • But recently, they’d experienced a significant decline in marketing effectiveness • They asked us to look into it. • What did we find? • What you say isn’t always what they hear • “Performance” means different things to different audiences • “Performance Management” is making people uncomfortable
- 4. Who needs linguists? 31stJanuary 2014 Why are linguists important? • Linguists understand language. • Linguistics is a window into what people think. • Language changes reality.
- 5. Language in theCommercial World 31st January 2014
- 6. Language in theCommercial World 31st January 2014 Tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime.
- 7. Language in theCommercial World 31st January 2014
- 8. Why is languageimportant now? 31st January 2014 9 out of 10 brand touch-points are dominated by language • Brands in New media are in a conversation with consumers – whether they want it or not. • A lot of Brands are suffering from reduced friction – leading to “brand promiscuity”. If we don’t like something, it’s easier to find better options and switch. • Audiences have new forums to discuss what Brands say and how they say it.
- 9. And it’s notjust a flash in the pan 31st January 2014 Language will always be important in branding • For the next 10 years, it’ll be the most important thing. • Marketers are realizing that language is the easiest and cheapest part of their operation to change. • New technology will help them pinpoint where they need to make improvements.
- 10. How we butcheryour science for money 31st January 2014 Language In… • Text Analytics – Can process huge amounts of free-text feedback that big brands get every day. • Linguistics – Necessary to interrogate the data processed by Text Analytics. • Creative Writing – The emotional key to explaining issues to the right people.
- 11. Brand Language: Researchand Creation 31st January 2014 … Language Out • Creative writing – To give messages that address the right issues and clarify the brand’s narrative • Verbal Identity – A flexible set of strategic guidelines that sets out message structure and the brand’s tone of voice. • Writing workshops – To teach in-house writers how to use these components in their own copy.
- 12. The value oftext analytics 31st January 2014 Text Analytics: What it Does and Doesn’t Do • Processes info consistently and logically • Reliably groups that information into themes of discussion • Does not explain why these themes are important – only that they are important • Cannot pinpoint emerging trends without an extra layer of interpretation
- 13. The Linguistic Interpretation 31stJanuary 2014 Microsoft Word Doesn’t Write Novels • Text analytics gives us the what, linguistic savvy gives us the “why”. • The “why” is usually hidden in the specific way that themes in text are phrased. • Just as language can change reality, the way people speak shows us how they view reality. • This can be reflected in their choice of vocabulary, phrasing, and even in syntax.
- 14. Case Study: CustomerSatisfaction in Retail 31st January 2014 How language can improve the retail experience • A major retail client asked us to look at feedback from 100,000 customers. We were able to give them numbers to back up their beliefs. • They already knew that the major driver of customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction was staff/customer interaction. • The text data showed that about 98% of people were very happy with the staff. • But what about the other 2000 people...
- 15. Case Study: CustomerSatisfaction in Retail 31st January 2014 The problem with managers is… • When people say “The manager was useless”, they’re not talking about incompetence – they’re talking about function. • Managers are the gods of the store – and there’s nothing worse than an unreliable god. • “Manager” also means football manager – and those should be fired as soon as they mess up.
- 16. Case Study: CustomerSatisfaction in Retail 31st January 2014 “The girl was rude.”
- 17. Case Study: CustomerSatisfaction in Retail 31st January 2014 But is it really about rude girls? • “Rude” is bad. What about girl? • Why is this an acceptable term to refer to anyone over the age of 16 – or any age in a professional context? • Insight: The problem isn’t that the staff are being rude – it’s that the customer’s assumptions of the staff is different from what they’re getting… But where did they get those assumptions?
- 18. Case Study: CustomerSatisfaction in Retail 31st January 2014
- 19. Case Study: CustomerSatisfaction in Retail 31st January 2014 Don’t retrain them – Reframe their relationships • Retrain your staff in customer interaction… • Which takes six weeks for each person… • And costs more than it could possibly be worth? • Retitle your staff in line with their experience and responsibility. • Let customers know through your messaging just how motivated and knowledgeable the “girls” are.
- 20. And if itworked for this lot… 31st January 2014 Not Pictured: Geniuses
- 21. In Conclusion 31st January2014 So who needs linguists? • Consultancies need linguists for a deeper understanding of what customers are saying. • Writers need linguists – to brief them fully and competently. • Brands need linguists to help design their identity and create their “voice”. • Everyone needs linguists to create the stories which allow them to understand the world.
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Editor's Notes
- #3 This is a workshop exercise we’ve used with our clients. Have a go – what do you think’s going on?That was a practical demonstration of how easily people will form narratives out of nothing.
- #6 The image provides the context – but the words are what alter reality.They transform a Patek Philippe watch from a luxury expense into an investment in your child’s future.Suddenly, the holiday in Aruba seems a lot more frivolous, doesn’t it?
- #7 Everyone knows who these four are. But what are the first words you think of when you see them?Although much maligned, this “soundbite” combines some seemingly contradictory policy ideas. It’s linguistically significant because it turns the second point into an aggressive stance: So the people who hold it can feel good about holding it, and the others (who’re already aggressive) can get behind it.
- #8 This apology from WHSmith quickly deals with an embarrassing issue – It explains the problem, explains how it will be fixed, and demonstrates sincere contrition.
- #11 This is how we butcher your science to invigorate brand language.
- #15 But the other 1% were the most interesting to us:
- #16 The word “manager” is currently undergoing a semantic shift similar to that of “performance”. It usedBut it turned out this was…
- #18 The best place to put important information is at the beginning of the sentence.Our client was so focused on “rude” that they didn’t bother to ask about “girl” – but we did.This is where creative writing becomes important too -
- #19 To explain the problem to the client, we started by asking “Are you running Downton Abbey in your stores”.This let them compare the problem to something everyone knows and understands.
- #20 Which of these two things sounds easier?Apple Genius Bar.
- #21 The name of the staff and the place you go to see them immediately, permanently frames your relationship with them for the better.Although there is a higher cost if you do it wrong – If the guy you deal with at the Apple Genius turns out to be a mouthbreathing troglodyte, you’re probably not going to leave happy.So a higher standard of staff training and interaction becomes a necessary part of the brand promise, motivated by language.