When it comes to using the word “good” in copywriting, I immediately think of the size options for soft drinks at fast food joints. I might be under 30, but I still remember a time when there was a small, medium and large size. Now, there’s no such thing as small. We have regular, large and extra-large-sized (Not to mention: super-size, king-size and big-gulps.) The same thing is happening with the word good. Where we once had a scale of fair, good and great, we now have good, great and excellent. It won’t be too long before the word good is actually bad. Are you following all this? Good. I mean great. I mean, ah fiddlesticks!
Let’s break it down.
Soda Sizes, A Sliding Scale
Old-School: Small – Medium – Large
Newer: Small – Regular – Large
Newest: Regular – Large – Extra Large
Becoming Common: Large – Extra Large – Super-Sized/King-Sized/Big-Gulp/Family-Sized
The Word “Good,” A Sliding Scale
Old-School: Poor – Fair – Good
Newer: Fair – Good – Great
Newest: Good – Great – Excellent
(and we’re not too far away from) Great – Excellent – Fantastic
Diluting the meaning of the word good may not sound like a big deal, but it has major implications. If good is average, what is the opposite of bad? Great? If so, does that mean that good is the opposite of average? Or is good the opposite of the adverbs used to describe it, such as “pretty good?” Have words like “fine, alright and okay” crossed over to the darkside where they should be treated as negative? When a child is told “good job,” the child should feel elated. He or she should know that good is the direct opposite of bad. But if media and advertising mess with the fundamentals of language and slide the scale to where good isn’t the exact opposite of bad, then “good job” implies “not good enough.”
When was the last time someone said you did “good” and you truly felt “good” about it?
Good is average.
I started writing this blog several weeks ago, but at that time, the topic was more of a personal observation. Last week, a client confirmed my suspicion, asking me to remove the word good from their corporate language because it sounded too mediocre. I can’t blame the client on this. If society has accepted that good is average, then a client has every reason to want to elevate itself to the next tier.
As advertisers, we’re commissioned to make every product look like the best thing on the market. And while I firmly believe in the products we sell, it’s difficult to not feel a tinge of guilt that my writing contributes to the devaluing of the word good.
I feel that the burgeoning backlash against advertising correlates to our use of inflated language. Only with a linguistic cleansing to return words to their proper place can the word “good” actually get back to good. If our culture doesn’t start to respect the intrinsic value of our words, the fluff will continue. And that would be no great for anyone.