Gorilla Glue. We’re fairly certain its packaging warnings to not get it on skin, in eyes or ingest. Same for Proctor & Gamble regarding its laundry products. We also doubt fans of Schwarzkopf Haircare meant the word glue used in their “Got to Be” product lines literally. Never in a million years did their AOR say, “just to play devil’s advocate, what if someone really DOES try and use it as glue?” If they did, guaranteed it was met with a “how stupid do we think people are?” response.

Is this what we’ve sunk to? A world where words are nonsense, not adhered to (see what we did there) and tossed around irreverently and meaninglessly? As believers the pen is mightier than the sword, we’re starting to question what type of pen versus what kind of sword are we talking about because people be eatin detergent and using glue as hairspray.

Do they really still matter? As a country, we diligently follow (and argue about) the words written in a nearly 250-year-old document.THAT’S how much they matter. People seriously take vows under the pretense they are never to be broken. THAT’s how much they matter.  We’ve built an entire career and business on words. THAT’S how much they matter. 

We embrace tech as the constant change that organically occurs yet can’t help but notice the negative instant visual gratification underbelly against the shimmering, I-just-found-an old-college-friend positive. Thank you’s become thumbs ups. Invitations, publications, even schools have online counterparts. We all know what the eggplant emoji is. Both the written and spoken word continue to struggle daily against 15 second Instagram stories or TikTok videos. 

However, if we’ve learned anything, it’s to hold on to the hope we have. Words matter. As a communications agency, we adapt with the times, but leave no word behind respecting them greatly and not taking them lightly.  Words will never go out of style. They are classic. They are timeless. They are critical. Ironically enough, the dictionary describes the word critical in its different forms as either essential and all important, or precarious and touch and go. We’ll ponder that while reading a book, whether it be turning the page or scrolling.