Blossoms and pearls: Keep calm!
Sarah Pally, a linguist and partner at the agency Partner & Partner, takes a close look at (advertising) language in her column «Blüten und Perlen.» This time, the focus is on ways to emphasize a point in communication.
Who hasn't seen them: written messages that were obviously written with - let's say "emphasis". With eight to twelve exclamation marks, sometimes interspersed with ones because of angry typos. All in bold letters, in a shade of red that is not very affectionate. Also in capital letters. Perhaps with underlining, depending on taste, a question of style. And possibly even with a yellow background. To be on the safe side.
You have to assume that the sender doesn't care that it doesn't come across as soooo confident. On the contrary: the message is as clear as day - at least the one between the lines. And that is often "I am desperate."
Leeching teenagers
It's true that not every exclamation mark is based on naked despair. But surprisingly often. It's like shouting at a teenager: you're making a fool of yourself. What shows your own desperation, your own inability to make yourself heard better than shouting? Desperation and inability are weak points that every teenager craves. The pulsating wound that you just have to stick your finger in. Anxiety like in Tom & Jerry.
When using each exclamation mark, you should therefore urgently ask yourself: Is this already desperation or is it still emphasis? Or better still, a little more reflectively: Why did I actually want to shout now? Am I unable to get to the heart of what I want to say and was I looking for a way out with the exclamation mark? Is my statement per se not powerful enough, so that I have to clarify it by other means? Do I feel deep down that my message is not convincing enough without the exclamation mark?
Painful self-knowledge
Yes, self-awareness is painful. But it's worth thinking again about the message and the crux of the matter before putting up the poster. After all, nobody really likes being shouted at, not even in writing. The readers will smell your desperation. Yes, they certainly will. But there are exceptions here too - just like everywhere else: If you want to express your enthusiasm, really important information or something positively surprising, you can! Go for it! Party on!
Better not to sign with blood
Exclamation marks are rarely clever when it comes to claims. Sometimes too much is promised. You don't necessarily have to sign that in blood - or shout it out with an exclamation mark. For those who think that's exaggerated: The Red Bull group was sued in the USA in 2013 because the drink Red Bull does not give you wings after all - neither real nor proverbial. The lawsuit was settled for 13 million dollars. Imagine if there had been an exclamation mark behind it!
So are all exclamation marks stupid now? No! And if you're honest as a copywriter (yes, I know: haha), then you have to admit that you use it crazy often. Never out of desperation, of course, NEVER! But: very often to give orders. After all, it's called CALL to Action. And it's also called: Call to ACTION.
Analyzed since 2025 Sarah Pally In her column "Blossoms and Pearls", she comments on industry-related terms with a personal touch, from a linguistic perspective - as well as with a precise view of developments in the industry. Pally is a partner in the Partner & Partner agency in Winterthur. She has been working in the fields of content marketing, text/concept and storytelling in the communications and marketing sector for 15 years.
