"How do you feel when big corporations address you directly? (In other words, when they use the second-person pronoun you in their communications.) Do you feel like you're valued? That you're being treated as an individual? Or does it make you want to grab their CEO by the scruff of the neck and tell them to shut up? It's impossible nowadays to buy food, walk down the street or even open your emails without businesses trying to chat you up."
"The slogan's direct address reinforces this, giving the reader a false sense of power that still feels patronising 137 years later. Because, as with smartphones today, the real power lies with the device itself, not to mention the company that is profiting from it. It's one thing to sell me a product, quite another to con me into feeling self-actualised for simply pressing a button."
Big corporations increasingly use the second-person 'you' in communications across products, emails, and bills. Examples include a carton of Alpro oat milk, a restaurant emailing 'We miss you!', and an Octopus Energy bill using 'you' 41 times without 'Dear'. A historical example is Kodak's 'You push the button, we do the rest', which simplified photography but also created a misleading sense of power. A recent study found consumers respond better to adverts that directly address them. Many recipients perceive this technique as disingenuous and patronising rather than individually respectful. Personalization often masks corporate control and profit motives.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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