A confession: I still fall into this trap.

My mantra was always: “If your brand, service or product is quicker, faster, smarter than its competitors, tell me how it is quicker, faster or smarter”.

Occasionally I find myself writing “authentic”, “craft” or “discover” – words marketing has used so often they’re now rather meaningless.

Every brand is authentic. “Authentic” coffee, “Authentic” clothing, “Authentic” advice, presumably as opposed to the fraudulent cardigan and the cappuccino living under an assumed name.

Everything is also “crafted”. Beer is “crafted”. Sandwiches are “crafted”. Customer journeys are “crafted”. I recently saw “crafted water”, which feels rather ambitious considering nature has been making it for some time.

Then there’s “discover”. “Discover” a new taste. “Discover” better banking. “Discover” our latest collection. You’re not discovering the source of the Nile. You’re clicking on a website.

Other repeat offenders include “passionate”, “premium”, “bespoke”, “curated”, “innovative”, “game-changing” and “unique”. Often made even more unique by putting “Truly” in front of it. And boy – I often fall victim to those gems.

The problem isn’t the words. It’s that they’ve become substitutes for actual thought.

If your product is crafted, show us the skill and decisions behind it. If your service is bespoke, explain what you change for the individual. If you’re innovative, tell us what you’ve done differently and why anyone should care.

Better still, replace adjective with evidence.

Don’t tell me the restaurant is passionate about using local ingredients. Tell me the chef knows the farmer who grew the carrots or the fisherman who he buys his catch from every Tuesday morning at 8am.

Don’t call the product premium. Explain why it costs more.

Good marketing doesn’t need to announce how special something is. It makes the difference clear enough for people to recognise it themselves.

Perhaps it’s time we stopped borrowing everyone else’s language and found the words that could only belong to us…now that would be “truly authentic” – sorry.