More is more. Until it isn’t.
We live in the age of “Let me give you some context…”
Followed by a novel.
Seth Godin noticed something interesting: AI made us verbose. Suddenly, those crisp Google searches (“pizza near me”) became dissertations (“I’m looking for a pizza place within 15 minutes of downtown that has good reviews and accommodates someone with a gluten sensitivity who also prefers thin crust but not too thin and maybe has outdoor seating because my dog gets anxious indoors”).
And you know what? It works better.
AI isn’t impatient. It’s insatiable.
But here’s where marketing gets weird: customers are still human.
They want the full story for the algorithm. But they want the short version for their brain.
“Just tell me what it does.”
The challenge? Figuring out when more information helps and when it hurts.
Your AI might need a 500-word prompt to understand what you want. Your customer needs five words to understand why they want it.
Amazon’s product descriptions are getting longer. Their “Buy Now” button stayed the same size.
Netflix gives you detailed algorithms and personalized recommendations. But they still lead with “Play” and “Add to List.”
The art is knowing when to explain everything and when to shut up.
AI rewards context. Humans reward clarity.
Give the machine your dissertation. Give your customer your headline.
Because pleonasm has its place. Just not in your tagline.
Sometimes less is more. Sometimes more is more.
The trick is knowing which time you’re in.