Are We Overdoing Virtual?
How many times have you written “virtual” in your ad copy? Once, Twice, fifteen times? Can you recall a time when everyone wrote an ad copy that said, “Live entertainment?” The insider joke was “live entertainment” is better than dead entertainment. Everything now is virtual.
Recently I was on LinkedIn and saw a video advertising a “Virtual Presenter.” I thought, not a live presenter, not an entertaining, engaging, funny, witty, or even profound presenter, but a Virtual Presenter. Really?
I then had a colleague email me asking to read his marketing copy for his website? I said, “Sure.” He was like “Great, let’s have a virtual meeting to discuss your ideas”? Seriously, you could have said, “Let’s talk, chat, email, or text, but a virtual meeting?
Sadly the word virtual is replacing words like “entertaining” or “talking”.
Webster’s Dictionary defines virtual as: “very close to being something without actually being it.”
Now with that in mind, every politician is virtual.
Is an entertainer virtual? The answer is no, no, and no.
An entertainer can be funny. The emcee can be entertaining and that show is educational, but not everything can is best described as virtual.
A company can now advertise a virtual walk, and you do not have to worry about social distancing. Play with a virtual dog and never clean up dog poop. Eat virtual food and never gain weight.
Now I’m saving the best for last as I’ll be turning this into a virtual video so those who are obsessed with virtual can watch this virtually.
Let’s stay virtually connected as we rapidly overuse the word virtual.