Is there a word more used these days in marketing meetings than “passion?” I write and speak about marko-babble a lot — marko-babble defined as words so often used and watered down, they become meaningless. It’s like they come out of a handbook. Authenticity, transparency, ROI all come to mind. I’m not saying “passion” is marko-babble, it’s a price of entry, a means of staying truly alive in your business category, but in brand planning, it is actually a negative word.
For less than a day, I changed my LinkedIn profile to read: “I am a passionless brand planner. That’s right passionless.” Passion can cloud the judgment. Parents are passionate about love of their children. Is that why many miss teenage maladaptive behaviors? Company officers are passionate about their product and services. Does that put a gauze over their ability to see market realities? Brand planners must be ever-energetic in their search for insights, patterns and cultural observations surrounding commerce and purchase behavior, but passion should not enter into it. Peace!