Straight Talk

“What does Love mean?”

This question was posed to a group of 4-to-8 year-olds. You may have seen this – it was one of those feel-good mass emails we all get every now and then. Not to be crass, but what I took from the answers was something with a more marketing-related application to it.

Welcome to another edition of Not Your Usual Marketing Tips from JDK Marketing Communications Management.

As the accompanying commentary pointed out, ”The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined.” They are also real. And as pure a “sound bite” as you can come up with.

"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love."-- Rebecca, age 8

"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth."-- Billy, age 4

"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other."-- Karl, age 5

Here’s what I like about these quotes. They get to the point while painting a very evocative image. Rather than getting bogged down in business-speak or techno-speak, a story is told simply, with emotion and color.

"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs."-- Chrissy, age 6

"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired."-- Terri, age 4

"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK." -- Danny, age 7

You don’t have to be a Pulitzer Prize-winning author to write with such élan. (Obviously, when you consider the age of these writers.) All you have to do is think in terms of telling your story in a simple, straightforward way…and allow your own enthusiasm to come through. After all, wasn’t it enthusiasm for your business that brought you to where you are today?

"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that."-- Emily, age 8

"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen." -- Bobby, age 7

"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday." -- Noelle - age 7

Of course, if you’d rather have someone help you write effective, engaging copy for an ad, brochure or commercial you’re looking to produce, I know a professional who’d be happy to lend you a hand… ;)

(If not, there’s always my six-year-old niece…)


Joel Kweskin

…Just for the heck of it, here are two more entries from that e-mail:

"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you." -- Karen, age 7

Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child. The winner was a four-year-old child whose next-door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife.

Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry."