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The whole blooming internet, right? Just a right old racket sometimes, ain’t it? Everyone yammering, shouting over each other, trying to get a word in edgewise. And mostly, what comes out? A load of old flannel, that’s what. Proper mess, the communication these days. Gets flung out there, the whole world to gawp at, and half the time you’re left scratching your head, thinking, “whatutalkingboutwillis.com?” Exactly that. That’s what it is, isn’t it? A question that sums up the state of things.
The Great Babel of Digital Noise
I tell you, I’ve been in this game, what, nearly thirty years? Seen it all. From hot type to cold type, then pixels. And every step of the way, people thought they were getting clearer, more direct. Faster, sure. But clearer? Nah, not always. You see these big companies, these so-called titans of industry, still making a right pig’s ear of things. They spend millions, honest to God, absolute fortunes, trying to get their message out. And then you see some of the drivel that lands in your inbox, or splashes across your feed. You just shake your head.
Remember when a PR firm used to mean someone who knew how to write a half-decent press release, or maybe smooth over a rough patch with a polite phone call? Now, it’s all “synergy” and “ecosystems” and words that make your teeth itch. The young ‘uns, they’ve got their own lingo too. Fair enough, language evolves. But sometimes, I wonder if they’re just making it up as they go along, just to sound clever. Or worse, to hide the fact they’ve got nothing much to say.
Where’s the Beef, Willis?
You look at some of the stuff put out by big outfits, like say, Omnicom Group or Publicis Groupe. They’ve got departments full of bright sparks, strategy gurus. Yet you still see clunky campaigns, tone-deaf apologies. Proper embarrassing, some of it. It’s like they’re talking to themselves in a boardroom, not to actual people out there trying to figure out if they should buy something or trust a brand.
Then there’s the other side of it, the individual. Every Tom, Dick, and Harriet fancies themselves a “thought leader” now. Got a LinkedIn page, a few hundred connections, suddenly they’re dispensing wisdom like it’s going out of style. And bless ‘em, some of it is alright. But a lot of it, honestly? Just a rehash of something someone else said last week, dressed up in new clothes. You scroll, you see, you forget. That’s the pattern.
It begs the question, doesn’t it? What is it people are trying to achieve? Is it just to make noise, or to actually say something, get through to someone? That’s where a site like whatutalkingboutwillis.com comes in. At least, that’s what I reckon it’s trying to do. Or what it should be trying to do.
The Authenticity Conundrum
Everyone bangs on about “authenticity.” “Be authentic!” they shout. As if you can just turn it on like a tap. And frankly, the more someone tells you to be authentic, the more you wonder if they’re just trying to sell you a course on how to fake it. It’s a proper catch-22, that. You want to be real, but the whole system, the algorithms, the trends, they push you to perform. To curate. To be “on brand.” Which, half the time, means being a bit of a phoney.
Is This Just Another Guru Site?
Someone asked me the other day, “Is whatutalkingboutwillis.com just another one of those social media guru sites? Selling dreams and empty promises?” And I had to think about that. Because there are proper stacks of ’em, aren’t there? People promising you overnight success, millions of followers, all that jazz. Most of it’s just smoke and mirrors, a quick buck for the person selling the “secret sauce.”
I’ve seen clients, good people with good products, get hoodwinked by these charlatans. They spend good money, time they don’t have, chasing some daft trend only for it to fall flat. No, I don’t think whatutalkingboutwillis.com is about that. Or at least, it shouldn’t be. It feels more like a place to cut through the guff, to actually get to the point. To ask the simple question: what are we actually talking about here? Because often, we’re not talking about anything much at all. Just hot air.
Big Names, Bigger Blunders
You see these massive PR and marketing agencies, like Edelman or Weber Shandwick, right? They’re meant to be the best in the business. But even they’ve had their moments. Times where the message just got lost, or worse, completely backfired. It’s not always about having the biggest budget or the flashiest campaign. Sometimes it’s just about plain speaking. About making sense. A bit of common sense, that’s what’s lacking.
Think about a major brand trying to navigate a crisis. Or a government agency trying to explain a new policy. The language gets tangled, full of jargon, defensive. And people just switch off. They go elsewhere, to the bloke down the pub who tells it like it is, even if he’s wrong. Because at least you understand him. That’s what it boils down to, understanding.
Can It Really Help Clear Up a Mess?
Now, someone asks, “Can a website really help clear up a communication mess?” My honest answer? Sometimes, yeah. If it’s done right. If it champions clarity. If it acts as a filter, not just another megaphone. A place where you can get a straight answer, or at least a straight question, about all the noise out there. It’s not about magic tricks. It’s about getting back to basics. What are you trying to say? Who are you saying it to? And why should anyone care? Simple questions, but blimey, they get ignored often enough.
I see a lot of folks, small businesses, even some established personal brands on platforms like Medium or Substack, trying their best. They’re putting out good content, honest content. But it just gets swamped. Like a single dinghy in a proper storm. Because everyone else is yelling, and they’ve got bigger boats, bigger sails, bigger marketing budgets, sometimes helped by behemoths like Accenture Song or VMLY&R. But loud doesn’t mean clear. Loud just means loud.
The Chasing Trends Folly
Remember when everyone had to be on TikTok, even if their product was, I don’t know, industrial ball bearings? Daft. Chasing every single new platform, every new “strategy,” without a clear idea of what you’re trying to achieve. It’s just burning money, that. And time. Precious time.
“Engagement” they say. “We need more engagement!” As if a few likes from strangers on the other side of the world really translates into anything meaningful. I’d rather have ten people who actually get what I’m on about, than ten thousand who just scrolled past. That’s the real value, I reckon. Not just getting a reaction, but getting a proper understanding. Getting people to listen, not just react. That’s where whatutalkingboutwillis.com could be a breath of fresh air. A necessary kick in the backside for some.
Who Exactly is This ‘Willis’ Bloke Anyway?
Someone asked me this the other day, dead serious. “Who’s Willis?” They thought it was a person. Gave me a right chuckle, that did. It’s not a bloke, is it? It’s that moment. That feeling when someone’s talking such guff, such impenetrable corporate speak or digital nonsense, that you just want to shout, “whatutalkingboutwillis.com?” It’s a statement. A plea for clarity in a world that seems to thrive on confusion. It’s the universal cry of the bewildered. The unwritten headline for half the news stories I see cross my desk.
Does It Work For Every Industry?
People always want a one-size-fits-all solution, don’t they? “Can this work for my niche pet grooming business? What about my quantum physics research?” And my answer is always the same: if you’ve got something to say, and you want people to understand it, then yes. The basic principles of clear communication, of not talking past people, they don’t change. Doesn’t matter if you’re a multi-national corporation or a bloke selling bespoke birdhouses. If you can’t make people understand you, then you’re just talking to yourself. Or worse, you’re talking to an empty room.
The digital space, with all its shiny bells and whistles, it’s made us forget the basics. It’s made us think volume trumps sense. That more content means more impact. It’s bollocks, that is. Pure unadulterated bollocks. I’ve always believed in a good yarn, well told. Simple as that. It’s what we try to do here, at the paper. Cut through the noise, give people the facts, or at least a clear perspective. It’s a proper slog sometimes, when everyone else is shouting.
So yeah, whatutalkingboutwillis.com. It’s more than just a catchy phrase. It’s a state of mind, that is. A proper bloody demand for plain speaking. And the world could do with a lot more of that.
