Blake Snow

writer-for-hire, content guy, bestselling author

As seen on CNN, NBC, ABC, Fox, Wired, Yahoo!, BusinessWeek, Wall Street Journal
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New ambiguous phrases = same old meanings

What is it with companies renaming things? I know my company has been guilty. Why not just keep phrases the way they used to be?

For example, no one is a salesman anymore. You are either a consultant, account manager, or the very long VP of Business Development. I’ve recently starting telling people in a concise manner what I really do for a living: “I am a database salesman.” Does it sound unexciting and bland? Yes. Does it matter? No. Because by telling people what I really do, they are more likely to cut through the ambiguity, remember what I do, and maybe even send a referral!

Need another? Brand management. You mean you design logos? It’s not like logo design is rocket science and needs a fancy name. Apple’s logo is an apple with a bite in it. Clean and simple just like the definition of logo.

What examples can you think of?