I love fresh, succulent fruits.
- A crisp, refreshing apple? Yes.
- A perfectly ripe slice of kiwi? Sign me up.
- A juicy segment of tangelo or soft cube of pear? Ooooooh!
But I have a confession to make…
I’ve never been a fan of fruit salad, even though my wife makes a variety of killer fruit salads.
I know, I know — it’s colorful, it’s healthy, and it’s got “salad” in the name, so it must be good for you. How in the world could I NOT love fruit salads?
For me, the conflict, competition and battle between all the various textures and tastes are too overwhelming.
They say guys tend to compartmentalize. Well, I certainly do that when it comes to fruit salads. I like to keep my bites in their own lanes.
When all these textures and flavors are attacking me all at once, it’s a mosh pit of fruit-picking punk rockers on steroids. My mouth gets overwhelmed. My brain short-circuits. I start making puckering faces.
Like I said, it’s not that I dislike fruit — I just want a somewhat logical experience with order.
So, when I’m eating a fruit salad, I’ll sort through and eat each type of fruit together.
Yeah, I know this must sound weird to those of you who love fruit salads.
Where am I going with all of this? And how will it tie into your PR and marketing communications? Well…
How’s Your Messaging Taste?
Now let’s talk about your messaging.
Are your company’s communications like a fruit salad?
Because for a lot of businesses — especially small to midsize ones — that’s exactly what’s happening. You’re mixing messages, tones and textures until what should be a smooth, delicious bite becomes a confusing, flavor-clashing mess.
Let me explain…
You’re talking innovation on your website, nostalgia in your social media, hard data in your press releases, and quirky humor in your newsletter. Your “About” web page says one thing, your CEO’s LinkedIn bio says another, and your customer emails sound like they came from a government help desk.
It’s like me pitching AuthenticityPR’s services to a business prospect at a networking meeting like this: “At AuthenticityPR, we can help you with your press releases, employee relations, tradeshow banner, business cards, YouTube optimization, flyers, brochures, website copy, book editing…”
There’s no single flavor. No harmony. No clear identity.
It’s just one big, mixed-up bowl of kiwi-tangelo-pear-apple confusion.
And your audience? They’re pulling the same face I do when I get hit with squish-snap-slush-crunch all at once. (Yikes.)
That’s why I typically say, “I can help you tell your story with clarity, impact and authenticity.”
Simplicity quiets the noise (see this blog post). When you confuse, you lose.
What You Want is a Smoothie
Now if you were to take that same fruit salad and blend it into a smoothie? Different story.
Suddenly it’s one delicious, unified textured flavor — rich, consistent, refreshing. Maybe a note of banana, a hint of strawberry, a citrusy zing in every mouthful.
And that’s what your brand communication should be.
Unified.
Cohesive.
Smooth.
Your Smoothie Ingredients (a.k.a. Brand Messaging Basics)
Here are five ingredients to make your communications smoothie-worthy:
- Your Core Message – (I’m resisting making a fruit pun here.) What’s the single most important thing your brand wants people to know? Not five things. One. If you’re known for innovation, say that. If it’s customer-first service, great. Find the throughline that connects everything.
- Your Voice & Tone – Pick a flavor and stick to it. Are you warm and friendly? Polished and professional? Edgy and disruptive? Whatever your tone is — be consistent across your website, email, social, press releases, and yes, even your invoices.
- Your Audience – A particular smoothie isn’t made for everyone. It’s blended for a specific group of people with a specific craving. Know who you’re talking to. Speak their language. Understand their taste.
- Visual Consistency – Fonts, colors, logos — yes, even these contribute to the mix. If your social graphics look like one thing, and your brochures look like they were made in PowerPoint 2007… that’s a problem.
- Message Discipline – Just because you can say everything doesn’t mean you should. Focus. Trim the fat. Get to the point. Repetition isn’t boring — it’s branding.
Don’t Just Toss the Fruit in the Bowl and Hope
Tossing together all your best ideas, taglines, product features, and company values in a single message — with no clear hierarchy or voice — might feel like you’re covering all your bases.
But it’s not base covering. It’s buzzword salad. And buzzword salad gets tossed… out.
Instead, blend your ingredients.
Create one harmonious messaging experience.
Let your audience sip and respond, “Mmmm, now that is refreshing.”
The 3 Big Takeaways:
- Mixed messages create confusion — not clarity. Be consistent in tone, content and presentation.
- Think smoothie, not salad. Blend your key messages into one unified voice across all platforms.
- Your communication should taste like you. And that means having one brand flavor — not a mixed-bag of random chunks.
Harvesting 1 Final Thought
If you suspect your messaging might be more fruit salad than smoothie — don’t feel bad. Most companies start that way.
The good news? That’s fixable.
I’ve helped dozens of clients clarify their message, unify their voice, and turn their fruit salad into a smoothie worthy of a brand ambassador’s Instagram reel.
Want help making your message more “gulpable”? Let’s talk.
Let’s make your branding an @PRjeff approved smoothie.
Stay authentic… and enjoy your fruit salads anyway you please!
Jeffery E. Pizzino, APR (seen here in a vintage photo circa 1983 serendipitously doing a Clash impersonation in a since-forgotten location) is a spin-free public relations pro who is passionate about telling the why of your story with clarity, impact and authenticity. He began his PR career in 1987 at Ketchum Public Relations in New York City but has spent the majority of his career as a solopreneur. He’s the Chief Authentic Officer of the Johnson City, TN-based public relations firm, AuthenticityPR. He also functions as the fractional CCO for technology startup Converus.
Jeff has an MBA in Management from Western International University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications — with an emphasis in PR — from Brigham Young University (rise and shout!). He’s a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but also holds an Italian citizenship. Jeff and his storyteller wife Leticia have four children and four grandchildren. In his extremely limited nonwork hours, he studies italiano, practices guitar, write songs, gardens, disc golfs, reads, listens to New Wave music, serves in his church, watches BYU football, and plays Dominion and Seven Wonders. Email Jeff.
