Singing or speaking, K.I.S.S. works every time, Christina

The comment [from dippidydogurl] I saw about the MTV.com posting of singer Christina Aguilera's gaffe singing the U.S. national anthem at yesterday's Super Bowl said it all:

That's what happens when you start trying to turn the National Anthem into a pop song. I love Christina, Whitney, Mariah, and all the other popstars who've sung the anthem but it doesn't need a bunch of pomp and circumstance to make it a worthwhile song. The lyrics speak for themselves. Next time, she needs to repeat these words, 'keep it simple, stupid.'

I know I always cringe when a singer takes liberties with our national anthem at a sporting event.  Clearly Aguilera's embellishments contributed to her well publicized mistake in the song's lyrics that has had the blogosphere buzzing since the Super Bowl last night.

Mike Parker from LP&P pointed out to me this morning that this is a good reminder for all of our spokespeople out there trying to convey complex messages, that the simplest way is always best.  When you try to get too complicated, you can add confusion that can lead to errors.  We are big believers in a concise set of messages for all of the companies we work with, knowing that the busy influencers  and the ultimate customers they are intended for want everything netted out for them.  They want to know very quickly why a company or product matters.  What does it do that is unique?  Why should they care about it?  Who or what can back up the positioning claims?  Why is this important to know about, or cover today -- i.e., what is newsworthy and worth coverage?

So thanks, Christina, for giving us this opportunity to emphasis the old adage, Keep it Simple, Stupid (K.I.S.S.).  It applies to singers and spokespeople everywhere.