Archive for November 21st, 2009

     I always wonder how some words become the term du jour. Lately I have been running across “engagement” everywhere.  I think that this word has become as popular in business circles as “innovation.” They might even be rivals. There are good reasons for this occurrence. Social media has pushed many of us to recognize that the best communications practices are about two way conversations or engaging your customers or employees.  Talking at an audience just does not work (not that it ever did).  To see if I was right about the ubiquitous “engagement,” we did a quick Factiva search of how often “engagement” appeared in all media over the past three plus years.  I was not far off track.  A 72% increase from 2006 to present day is big.

Of course, engagement leading to a wedding plays a major role in “engagement” mentions but I think that businesses’ affection for the word (vs. the bride and groom) is driving its increase.

Engagement Mentions in All Media

2006——————>113,898

2007—————–>135,403

2008—————–>148,700

2009 to present—->157,864

Source: Factiva, Weber Shandwick