Business lingo and technology jargon have long plagued professional communications, but in 2015 they reached epidemic proportions. 2015 saw a 71% increase in corporate buzzwords used online and a 115% increase in voiced frustration with business lingo across digital media.

Avaya saw this public frustration as an opportunity to address the epidemic and position the brand as the hero by getting people to ‘lose the lingo’ and connect more effectively.

And the best way to tackle such a serious social issue? Humor. This was the creative heart of our ‘Lose the Lingo’ movement.

Introduced by Ava, Avaya’s quirky, tech-savvy brand persona, our six-week buzzword-blasting Lose the Lingo campaign revealed just how much corporate clichés and overused tech jargon have infiltrated our lingua franca, demonstrating that, even with the most cutting-edge communications technology, professionals still need communications clarity to engage effectively in the workplace.

The integrated campaign was executed across paid, earned, shared and owned channels:

• A six-part video series, created in partnership with YouTube celebrities Tripp & Tyler and introduced by ‘Ava’ was the campaign centerpiece

• These took viewers to a microsite housing interactive language resources such as the Tech-tionary, Homonym Helper and #AvaSays blog

• Through a LinkedIn Showcase page Ava interacted directly with audiences

• Branded content: videos, gifs, infographics and memes were distributed and promoted on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram

• Social advertising on LinkedIn and YouTube extended visibility and target audiences by geography, interest and profession

• Strategic media placements in key industry publications generated buzz and kept the conversation flowing

• Internal communications rallied the Avaya employee base to crowd-source content for the video series and leveraged their social sharing power

The campaign exceeded all expectations; buoying brand awareness and helping achieve a first positive revenue quarter in a year

• Online mentions of business lingo frustrations reached an 18-month peak in June, then declined following the campaign (Source: Crimson Hexagon social media conversation report, Jan 2014 - Dec 2015)

• 22.3 million earned and social media impressions

• 630,000+ video views

• Social media engagement rates 3X greater than platform benchmarks

• 244% microsite traffic increase

• 1,000 new followers on Ava’s LinkedIn Showcase page

• 93% positive/neutral sentiment

• Results surpassed all previous campaigns by 2.5X. ROI 3X.

Accolades from industry partners/media:

• AdWeek:“hilariously skewers every bad business cliché your coworkers have uttered.”

• Business Insider: “...a hilarious video that nails just how ridiculous all of these words and phrases can sound.”

• LindkedIn ranked the campaign a Top 10 Performer among the tech industry