Making Your Message Stick (One Word Can Mean A Lot...)

"I hate the word ‘plethora'. It's one of those cheap SAT words people use. And it sounds like a name for part of your genitals. Like, ‘Cover your plethora!’”

Someone I admire said these words on a podcast yesterday.

I felt weirdly sad. I kind of love that word, so I want her to love it too.

The word plethora has been on my brain ever since.

The first time I heard it was at a summer camp where the recurring skit was a goofy guy running on stage and saying, with increasing drama,

“I saw a myriad of ______ [campers, bears, mosquitos, insert word].

A plethora of ______.

A veritable cornucopia of ______!!”

(I promise, it was funny at the time).

I heard the phrase so many times at camp that I still repeat it, decades later. I'll be walking in downtown Asheville and chuckle to myself,

“I see a myriad of tourists.

A plethora of tourists.

A veritable cornucopia of tourists!!”

(Yep, I have inside jokes with myself. #introvertquirks).

My favorite humor-essayist David Sedaris told a story from his father's funeral recently. He mentioned that after the eulogy, a man in the church pew behind him tapped his shoulder and asked,

“Can I say a word?"

David nodded yes. The man walked up to the pulpit, leaned into the microphone, and just said,

“Plethora.”

He then walked back to his seat. David turned around and said,

“Thanks. It means a lot.”

[Pause while you get it].

[Groooaaan. But I love nerdy jokes like this].

OK, you might be asking why I'm giving you this, ahem, plethora of anecdotes about one word.

Here's the point:

When you're marketing, you want your message to be “sticky." You want it to be easy for people to remember among all the other messages vying for their attention.

• Taking a clear and/or controversial stand on something ("I hate the word plethora!") is sticky.

• Repetition and rhythm ("A myriad. A plethora. A veritable cornucopia!!") are sticky.

• Stories and humor ("Thanks. It means a lot") and emotion (funeral) are sticky.

Now that I've brought your attention to it, I guarantee you'll notice the next few times you hear the word “plethora.” I've velcroed it to your brain (sorry).

How can you use one of these techniques to make your message more sticky? What are some words that you love/hate? I love hearing from readers.
You might even say it means…a lot. ;)