{"id":26171,"date":"2021-03-25T09:51:12","date_gmt":"2021-03-25T13:51:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/?p=26171"},"modified":"2021-03-30T08:21:53","modified_gmt":"2021-03-30T12:21:53","slug":"why-do-we-use-oxymorons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2021\/03\/why-do-we-use-oxymorons\/","title":{"rendered":"Why do we use oxymorons?"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Perceptive campaign plays with paradox<\/h2>\n<p>When Perceptive Software needed to fill 130 positions \u2014 more than one-third of its existing workforce \u2014 in just three months, a contradiction in terms was just what the company needed.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_26173\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-26173\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"26173\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2021\/03\/why-do-we-use-oxymorons\/why-do-we-use-oxymorons-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/why-do-we-use-oxymorons.png\" data-orig-size=\"450,300\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"why-do-we-use-oxymorons\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Opposites attract readers&lt;\/strong&gt; Add a new literary device to your toolbelt. Oxymorons \u2014 opposing or contradictory words \u2014 can have a dramatic effect on your message. &lt;a href=&quot;https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/text-word-clean-written-dirt-filth-581657920&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Image by Azer Merz&lt;\/em&gt;&lt;\/a&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/why-do-we-use-oxymorons-300x200.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/why-do-we-use-oxymorons.png\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/why-do-we-use-oxymorons.png\" alt=\"Why do we use oxymorons?\" title=\"Why do we use oxymorons?\" width=\"450\" height=\"300\" class=\"size-full wp-image-26173 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/why-do-we-use-oxymorons.png 450w, https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/why-do-we-use-oxymorons-300x200.png 300w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 450px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 450\/300;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"26173\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2021\/03\/why-do-we-use-oxymorons\/why-do-we-use-oxymorons-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/why-do-we-use-oxymorons.png\" data-orig-size=\"450,300\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"why-do-we-use-oxymorons\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Opposites attract readers&lt;\/strong&gt; Add a new literary device to your toolbelt. Oxymorons \u2014 opposing or contradictory words \u2014 can have a dramatic effect on your message. &lt;a href=&quot;https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/text-word-clean-written-dirt-filth-581657920&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Image by Azer Merz&lt;\/em&gt;&lt;\/a&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/why-do-we-use-oxymorons-300x200.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/why-do-we-use-oxymorons.png\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/why-do-we-use-oxymorons.png\" alt=\"Why do we use oxymorons?\" title=\"Why do we use oxymorons?\" width=\"450\" height=\"300\" class=\"size-full wp-image-26173\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/why-do-we-use-oxymorons.png 450w, https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/why-do-we-use-oxymorons-300x200.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-26173\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><strong>Opposites attract readers<\/strong> Add a new literary device to your toolbelt. Oxymorons \u2014 opposing or contradictory words \u2014 can have a dramatic effect on your message. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/text-word-clean-written-dirt-filth-581657920\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Image by Azer Merz<\/em><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Perceptive communicators created a campaign to show that the company \u2014 a midsized document management software engineering firm based in Shawnee, Kansas \u2014 was hip, hiring and a great place to work.<\/p>\n<p>Shawnee and \u2026 hip? For a woman who was raised in this Kansas City suburb, that sounds like an oxymoron. But despite its location, Perceptive is cool, what with its cutting-edge software, Wii \u201cdecompression\u201d chambers, on-site dodgeball court and slide from the second to the first floor.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s a paradox. So paradox, or oxymoron, became the theme for Perceptive\u2019s campaign.<\/p>\n<h3>Contradiction in terms<\/h3>\n<p>Oxymoron is a figure of speech that combines two normally contradictory terms \u2014 think \u201cdeafening silence,\u201d \u201cwise fool\u201d or \u201ccruel kindness.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The best oxymorons emphasize contrasts, incongruities or the complex nature of reality. \u201cOxymoron\u201d is Greek for \u201csharply dull,\u201d so the word is itself an oxymoron.<\/p>\n<p>For nearly 40 years, researchers have been showing that paradoxes in advertising:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Draw attention to a message<\/strong> and may enhance persuasion<\/li>\n<li><strong>Give readers a sense of accomplishment<\/strong> and are thus intrinsically rewarding and pleasurable<\/li>\n<li><strong>Seem \u201csurprisingly true\u201d<\/strong> \u2014 and might astonish people into changing their attitudes and beliefs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The Perceptive communicators built their campaign around oxymorons \u2014 from the company\u2019s career site URL to its billboards, radio spots and T-shirts. Here\u2019s a sampling of the copy:<\/p>\n<div class=\"excerptbox\" style=\"border:1px solid black;\">\n<strong>Perceptive Software Employees are Simply Versatile<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Analytical Dreamers<\/strong> \u2026 They not only think outside the box, they take the box apart, flip it upside down, inside out and rebuild it into something extraordinary.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Articulate Listeners<\/strong>. This isn\u2019t just a skill, it\u2019s an art: the ability to focus on the customer, hear their words but also hear the pain that lies beneath.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Practical Visionaries<\/strong>. These unassuming superstars speak softly but make a big impact.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Jetsetting Homebodies<\/strong>. These road warriors enjoy the excitement of travel without the monotony of being in one place for too long. \u2026 They also have homes, and they know how to use them.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Competitive Team Players<\/strong>. \u2026 Collaboration is paramount, but a competitive spirit keeps them at the top of their game \u2014 whether they\u2019re in a sales shootout or on the Corporate Challenge playing field.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Flexible Perfectionists<\/strong>. Some people prefer \u201cobsessively adaptable.\u201d Either way, it describes people with an unshakable sense of precision, even in the face of changing needs or priorities.<\/div>\n<p>The Perceptive communicators were using one of Roy Peter Clark\u2019s top 50 writing tips: <strong>Use modifiers to change the meaning of the word, not to intensify it<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c\u2018Killing Me Softly\u2019? Good adverb,\u201d The Poynter Institute senior scholar writes in Writing Tools. \u201c\u2018Killing Me Fiercely\u2019? Bad adverb.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>How to write an oxymoron<\/h3>\n<p>You can use this approach, too, for your own copy, concept or campaign:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Determine your key word or phrase<\/strong>. Let\u2019s call it \u201cprima donna.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><strong>Find contradictory modifiers or verbs<\/strong> via Visual Thesaurus (via RevUpReadership.com), <a href=\"http:\/\/onelook.com\/reverse-dictionary.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">OneLook Reverse Dictionary<\/a> or your own beautiful brain. \u201cTimid,\u201d maybe.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Put them together<\/strong> (timid prima donna) and \u2014 voila! \u2014 you\u2019re off.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>The results<\/h3>\n<p>It\u2019s one thing to be creative, of course, and another to generate serious business results. Among its successes, Perceptive\u2019s campaign:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Drew 3,055 r\u00e9sum\u00e9s<\/strong> via the website \u2014 an increase of 408% over the same period the previous year<\/li>\n<li><strong>Filled 135 positions<\/strong> \u2014 five more than the original goal. That was three more during the four-month campaign than the company had filled during the 12 months before the campaign<\/li>\n<li><strong>Came in at 8% under budget<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Earned lots of buzz<\/strong> from the media, adoration from Perceptive executives and a PRISM award from Kansas City\/PRSA<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Bottom-line creative. There\u2019s nothing oxymoronic about that.<\/p>\n<div id='MC-GC-LIOTS' class='widgets_on_page wop_tiny1  wop_small1  wop_medium1  wop_large1  wop_wide1'>\n\t\t\t<ul><li id=\"custom_html-68\" class=\"widget_text widget widget_custom_html\"><div class=\"textwidget custom-html-widget\"><h3>How do you reach nonreaders with words?<\/h3>\r\n<p>Most readers spend, on average, fewer than 15 seconds on a page, according to a study by Chartbeat.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><a title=\"Get Clicked, Liked & Shared, Ann Wylie's content-writing workshop\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/corporate-communications-training\/corporate-communication-training-programs\/content-writing-training\/\" target=\"\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/content-writing-training.png\" alt=\"Get Clicked, Liked & Shared, Ann Wylie's content-writing workshop\" title=\"Get Clicked, Liked & Shared, Ann Wylie's content-writing workshop\" width=\"auto\" height=\"auto\" border=\"0\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 250px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 250\/250;float:left; text-align:left; margin: 0 auto; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 2px; margin-bottom: 10px; background-color: #000000; font-size: 18x; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px; color: #FFFFFF; max-width:100%; max-height:100%;\" class=\"img-max lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/content-writing-training.png\" alt=\"Get Clicked, Liked & Shared, Ann Wylie's content-writing workshop\" title=\"Get Clicked, Liked & Shared, Ann Wylie's content-writing workshop\" width=\"auto\" height=\"auto\" border=\"0\" style=\"float:left; text-align:left; margin: 0 auto; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 2px; margin-bottom: 10px; background-color: #000000; font-size: 18x; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px; color: #FFFFFF; max-width:100%; max-height:100%;\" class=\"img-max\"><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>So how do you get your message across to skimmers, scanners and other nonreaders?<\/p>\r\n\t\r\n<p>Learn to put your key messages where readers\u2019 eyes are at <a title=\"Get Clicked, Liked & Shared, Ann Wylie's content-writing workshop\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/corporate-communications-training\/corporate-communication-training-programs\/content-writing-training\/\" target=\"\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Get Clicked, Liked &amp; Shared<\/strong><\/a>, our content-writing workshop.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>You\u2019ll learn to write better listicles with our 6-step list-writing makeover. How to tear down the obstacles to reading your post. And leave with a simple search engine optimization approach that will help you get found while producing high-quality content.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"btn btn--depth\" style=\"text-align: center;  margin: 10px 0 20px; width:100%;\"><a id=\"btnTT\" style=\"\" title=\"BOOK NOW\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/corporate-communications-training\/corporate-communication-training-programs\/content-writing-training\/\" target=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-width=\"91\">BOOK NOW<\/a>\r\n<!-- [if mso]>\r\n<p style=\"line-height:0;margin:0;\"><v:roundrect xmlns:v=\"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/corporate-communications-training\/corporate-communication-training-programs\/content-writing-training\/\" style=\"width:153px\" arcsize=\"8%\" strokecolor=\"#D96237\" filled=\"t\"><v:fill type=\"gradient\" angle=\"180\" color=\"#f16522\" color2=\"#f16522\"><\/v:fill><v:textbox style=\"mso-fit-shape-to-text:t\" inset=\"0px,11px,0px,11px\"><center style=\"font-size:16px;line-height:24px;color:#FFFFFF;font-family:sans-serif;font-weight:bold;mso-line-height-rule:exactly;mso-text-raise:4px\">BOOK NOW<\/center><\/v:textbox><\/v:roundrect><\/p>\r\n<![endif]--><\/div>\r\n<\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><!-- widgets_on_page -->\n<p>___<\/p>\n<p>Sources: Jason Stella and Stewart Adam, \u201cTropes in Advertising: A Web-based Empirical Study,\u201d Southern Cross University, 2005<\/p>\n<p>\u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Oxymoronic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Oxymoron<\/a>,\u201d Wikipedia<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Perceptive campaign plays with paradox<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":26173,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[57],"tags":[12970,12952,327],"class_list":{"0":"post-26171","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wordplay-creative-writing-tipsheets","8":"tag-oxymorons","9":"tag-phrase","10":"tag-words","11":"entry"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v23.4 (Yoast SEO v23.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Why do we use oxymorons?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Opposites attract readers Add a new literary device to your toolbelt. 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