WSJ Reporter: Oracle PR Confuses Me

I work in tech PR. So, I can’t claim to have never sent out a press release or pitch that contained some sort of “techspeak” that was a bit over my head.

Today, the PR team for software giant Oracle did send out one of those press releases, and got called out by Ben Worthen of the Wall Street Journal.

Ben writes:

Are you looking for a “market offering designed to simplify the lifecycle management of complex IP-based services?” Have we got the product for you!

That description is straight from an Oracle press release that touts…well, we’re still not sure what it touts. The release is string of bewildering tech terms and vague verbiage. It refers to whatever it is the company is selling as an “offering” in each of the first three sentences. Is that software, hardware or something you sacrifice to Quetzalcoatl?

Ok, so Ben probably does know that Oracle is a software company, but we can relate to his frustrations on having to translate these releases on a daily basis. How do you balance press release lingo between technical speak for the trades and painting a broader picture for the business press?

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