Do you hear what they say?

As I was driving to a client’s today to present my 1/2 day workshop on turning ordinary people into extraordinary interactive writers, I saw a white van with these words printed on the side: “Animal Care and Control.”

Back in the day, we would’ve said, “There goes the dog catcher,” or perhaps, “There’s animal control.”

So I was struck by the evolution of the term and the addition of the word “care.” You know, part of the job of that agency is to rescue abused animals, which is certainly a form of care. “Care” is such a humane word and a far cry from “dog catcher,” yet it’s also more attuned with how we think about and speak of pets in this age of animal rights.

I’m impressed that this agency has listened to the changing voice of its constituents and adapted its verbiage to be more current and more caring. If it’s been awhile since you’ve listened to what your audience is saying, stop and listen. They may be telling you something about your product, service, organization or business that you need to hear.

By JanO on 12/15/08, In Uncategorized, Tags audience, business, client, interactive, marketing, relevant copy, words, writer, writers