Cliche (Photo credit: Tom Newby Photography)
“I would be lying if I said It never enters my mind,“ she said, “but at the end of the day, no one can be me.”
“It’s good to have great chairs. But at the end of the day, nobody comes back to sit in a great chair.”
The two quotes above are from two different recent publications. But at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter where they came from. I am certain that I could easily have found many more. Because, at the end of the day, it is easy to spot clichés being born. And like most clichés, they have the ability to weaken otherwise interesting ideas.
However, the thought that no one else can be me is a good one. Putting it in a marketing context, it is saying, “Hey, what I sell may be considered a commodity. But it is what I personally bring to the party that makes my product stand out from the competition.”
And so too is the thought that yes, attention to detail is vital, but it is not the reason customers return. Yes, a great chair can make a visit to a restaurant more comfortable, but it is what is put on the plate that makes the sale. Good thoughts indeed, but diluted by introducing them with a hackneyed phrase.
Yes, I know, to be fair, I should point out the benefits of predictable phrases—immediate communication, instant comprehension, comforting familiarity. But, this may be more valid in copy for news journals and editorials than for advertising. And, at the end of the day, it is indeed my blog, and I feel no need to spend a lot of time on opposing viewpoints.
At the end of the day, there is no doubt that fresh language is preferable. And next we will work on eliminating “Bring to the party.”
Got the idea?
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