Remove Meaningless Words From Products

Do you know what zal means? Me neither.

Researchers found that meaningless descriptions (e.g., zal fried chicken) reduced sales. These products seemed more expensive, yet worse in quality (Baskin, & Liu, 2021).

It’s not just zal. Marketers sprinkle impressive words (e.g., industrial, disruptive, esoteric) in their copy, yet these words remain meaningless to many customers.

Exceptions might exist, but you could probably remove these words from your materials:

• full-bodied
• artisanal
• industrial
• disruptive
• esoteric
• opulent
• eco-friendly
• avant-garde

• Baskin, E., & Liu, P. J. (2021). Meaningless descriptors increase price judgments and decrease quality judgments. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 31(2), 283-300.