Debullshitting the advertising industry

This will be the summer of the flashmob revival. Of branded minivans with product tastings. Of Foursquare loyalty programs. Of Like-button overload. And of great bullshitbingolingo. “Optimize the customer service experience” to just say “just treat people the way you would like to be treated”. “We will raise brand awareness and build user interaction” to just say “we’ll waste your money on building another useless branded Facebook group”.

The epicenter of bullshitbingolingo, the annual circlewank for the advertising industry, is the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival. Thanks to Stef Selfslagh, Boondoggle’s Creative Director, who reluctantly infiltrated the Cannes Lions Cyberjury during the Festival, here’s a definate list of the worst copy lines (claims) in this year’s Cannes Lions case movies:

1: ‘We didn’t create a website, we created a social movement’.

2: ‘We acted as creators of entertainment’.

3: ‘Our idea translated into a huge internet buzz’.

4: ‘We revolutionized the advertising world’.

5: ‘We created a Facebook phenomenon’.

6: ‘We made the world a better place’

If you ever have a moment of doubt why consumers are out-conversating brands and agencies online, just have a look at the list above.