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The Difference Between Clever and Clear
Years ago, my parents' restaurants introduced a new product to their pizza and hotdog menu: chicken sandwiches. Their marketing guy suggested encouraging customers to try the new sandwich by handing out coupons.
His big idea was to call the coupons “chicken chits.”
Besides the clever pun, he thought the name would also play off Lyndon Johnson's then-current statement, “I may not know much, but I know chicken shit from chicken salad.”
My 12-year-old self thought it was a great idea.
My dad said, “No.”
Years later, the restaurants launched another new product. We mixed our frozen orange juice dessert (called an O-Joy) with soft-serve vanilla ice cream. It tasted exactly like a creamsicle.
It was incredibly delicious.
The marketing guy played off old horror movie sequels and called it “Son of O-Joy.”
It didn't sell.
The Difference Between Clever and Clear
By then, I was old enough to work behind the counter. What I noticed was that people wanted to order the new treat. They just didn't want to say the name.
Instead, they'd call me over and say:
“Lemme have one of those O-Joys with the vanilla ice cream.” Or,
“I want to try that new orange vanilla thing.”
When they tasted the new dessert, they loved it. They just didn't love the name. The truth was people were embarrassed to say it.
We changed the name to Sno-Joy, and they sold like crazy.
The Difference Between Clever and Clear
That's when I first learned the difference between clever and clear.
Clever is intriguing.
Clear is instructive.
Clever is engaging.
Clear is compelling.
Clever encourages people to smile.
Clear encourages people to buy.
You don't want to be clever when you're offering directions.
You don't want to be clever when you're sharing a recipe.
And you also don't want to be clever when you're giving instructions.
You want to be clear.
It's the same when you're selling. Your clients and customers need to know what they're buying.
Why?
Because, as President Johnson said all those years ago, they know the difference between chicken shit and chicken salad.
Bruce, as a lover of all things CLEVER…oh how hard it is for me to read and appreciate your post. Nevertheless, I do. I am so glad that you shared the 2nd name of the product. I think Sno-Joys is a tremendous blend of creative and descriptive. It also is easy and fun to say and can go what I call “verbally viral.” I think a great test that you described is to say product names out loud and surmise if a prospect/customer would feel comfortable (and preferably happy) SAYING it. Now (sigh) I will focus on applying what you’ve shared.
Hah!! I resemble that remark, Brian. I had several clever ideas that I was dying to present to our clients. It wasn’t until I got used to the joke a little and the cleverness wore off that I realized that there really wasn’t any there there. And you’re right. The combination of clever and clear (like SnoJoy) really is the holy grail.
Nice! Love this article, Bruce.
Thank you Thomas.
Comment *Totally agree on the “Son of O-Joy”. What a lengthy mouthful. But maybe Chicken Chits was just ahead of its time. The fact that it would have just been on the paper they handed you meant that no one would have to SAY it. The cleverness might have made people save it or even show others. My only concern really, if it were today, is that a lot of people wouldn’t know the word ‘chit’, undermining the intention. And now I want a Sno-Joy!
This is a profoundly important message, Bruce.
So often, we get caught up in trying to be clever or witty – focusing on how impressive we can be. Most of the time, we are just impressing ourselves! Significant leaders understand that our communication should always be clear, correct, and effective.
Brilliant Bruce, as usual.
Regards,
Mario
Thank you Mario.
Bruce,
Great points backed by a great story. Over the years, I found that my creative minds tends to hit on clever quickly (quicker than I get to clear) and I have learned over the years that clever only ever works if it’s clear. This has forced/taught me to apply restraint before launching anything “clever,” take a few steps back, and maybe even test it on a few folks to get clarity on it. I did this without having the drumbeat of clever clear (this would be a great band name) that you just offered. Thank you for this clever, clear insight.
Thank you Marc. It also took me a long time to get to this point and I still have to control my funny bone sometimes. But as you said, “clever only ever works if it’s clear.”
Comment *Bruce, I agree with you about the importance of being clear in your marketing and sales messages. As a copywriter, two phrases I’ve heard and live by are “A confused reader doesn’t buy” and “Confusion kills conversions.”
My advice to anyone writing a marketing message is to feed their copy into the Flesch-Kincaid grading tool. If it returns a score of anything above 5th or 6th grade, rewrite it!
Those are great mantras, John. I’ll use them, thank you.
As far as the Flesch-Kincaid tool goes, I run it on every blog. I’ve NEVER fit in below 7th grade and am usually at ninth or 10th. But I decided years ago that I wasn’t going to dumb down these essays any more than I do naturally!!
Thanks for your input.
Bruce,
It appears your blog is having a positive impact on a lot of readers. I think your writing style and grade level are working very well! Keep at it!