What does "remember" actually mean?

When did the industry stop thinking and start just thinking? And why? The irregular verb is regularly used in meetings, workshops and brainstorming sessions and has replaced the legendary "I think ...". Okay, that was also annoying when certain people started every sentence with "I think ...". Because they probably needed that, so that they at least heard from themselves that they were thinking, when no one else noticed. But that's another story.

Thinking about projects is always enough

So now we are only thinking everywhere. But anyone who only starts to think about something instead of giving it serious and sustained thought here and now is either ill-prepared or shirking their responsibility. The first is still forgivable. As fast as everything has to happen nowadays, there is no time to do in-depth research on a topic and document yourself. The days when people attended meetings well prepared or thought tasks through to the end are over. The ad hoc mentality is rampant everywhere and spreads unnecessary hecticness and extra work. Meanwhile, the few who are still well-prepared and make tangible suggestions are no longer heard in the "let's think about it first" chorus of their team members and superiors. The second - evading responsibility - is much worse. If you only think instead of thinking, you can't do anything wrong. After all, it is only a thought and has no claim to durability. The source of this thought-inflation is the project, Latin "proiectum", literally translated "that which is thrown forward or thrown down". And yes, projects are swarming everywhere at the moment. Marketing departments and agencies are hardly thinking, planning or developing anything for the long term anymore. No wonder in an industry where live streams, stories, now-players and instant messages are booming. Where the life cycle of agencies generally lasts less than five years and the years of service of clients in marketing departments are not even half as long. It's not worth thinking about it, thinking about it is enough. The result is often fast-food trash or hazardous waste instead of souvenirs for the future.

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* Benno Maggi is co-founder and CEO of Partner & Partner. He has been eavesdropping on the industry for over 30 years, discovering words and terms for us that can either be used for small talk, pomposity, excitement, playing Scrabble, or just because.