Why I'm Declining Cookies with Glee (And What It Means for Your Marketing)

I've started declining cookies with a genuinely unsettling amount of joy.

You know that popup on every website asking about cookies? I used to click "accept all" without thinking. Now I hunt for "decline all" like I'm on a mission. And when I find it, I click it with deeply satisfying glee.

Look, I work in communications. I get it. We're all doing our best. I've built a career on understanding how hard it is to break through the noise.

But lately, something has shifted.

Whereas I used to simply delete emails and texts I didn’t sign up for, now I'm unsubscribing AND blocking with abandon. And I know I'm not alone in this.

We're All Fed Up

The average person receives 121 emails per day and sees thousands of ads. Our phones buzz constantly. LinkedIn messages from strangers. Texts from brands we used once in 2019.

It's exhausting. And it's about to get worse.

With AI, content creation has never been easier. ChatGPT can write a blog post in seconds. AI can generate a month of social media content before you finish your coffee. This is wonderful (small businesses finally have powerful tools!) and terrible (we're drowning in mediocre, AI-generated sameness).

The signal-to-noise ratio has never been worse.

The Clarity Crisis

Here's the paradox: We have more communication tools than ever, but genuine clarity is becoming rare.

Everyone is talking. Fewer people are saying anything.

Websites that take three paragraphs to explain what should take one sentence. LinkedIn posts that bury the point. Press releases so packed with jargon that even insiders can't figure out what's newsworthy.

And your potential customers? They're in the same mental space I am. Tired. Overwhelmed. Ruthlessly efficient at filtering out anything that doesn't immediately make sense.

You get about three seconds of attention. If your message isn't crystal clear in those three seconds, you're gone. Blocked. Unsubscribed. Forgotten.

Why This Matters More Than Ever

Let me break down three areas where clarity is make or break:

For your customers: Confusion is death. We worked with a client whose website and marketing didn’t clearly differentiate their value. We changed the message to speak directly to what their target audience needs, and they made a $1,000,000 sale.

For media: Journalists receive hundreds of pitches weekly. They don't have time to decode your message. Your story needs to be immediately compelling with a clear angle, obvious relevance, and real substance. Make it easy for them or get ignored.

For AI: When someone asks ChatGPT for a recommendation, it looks at everything about you online. If your messaging is inconsistent or unclear, AI won't know when to recommend you. Your LinkedIn bio should align with your website. Your website should align with your other profiles. You're leaving digital breadcrumbs—make sure they tell a consistent story.

What Clarity Actually Means

Clarity isn't about being short or dumbing things down. It's about being ruthlessly relevant and effortlessly understood.

Know your ONE thing. The biggest clarity killer is trying to be everything to everyone. You need one thing you're known for. Yes, you might do other things, but lead with your ONE thing.

Pass the grandmother test. Can your grandmother explain what you do to her book club? If not, your messaging isn't clear enough.

Avoid these clarity killers:

• Jargon and buzzwords ("leverage innovative solutions to synergize paradigms")

• Trying to serve everyone ("we work with small businesses, enterprises, nonprofits, and individuals across all industries")

• Burying the lede (put your most important info first)

• Features instead of benefits ("AI-powered algorithms" vs. "find qualified candidates 10x faster")

Test Your Clarity Right Now

The 5-second test: Have someone look at your homepage for exactly 5 seconds. Can they tell you what you do, who it's for, and what action to take? If not, you've got work to do.

The stranger test: Explain your business to someone who doesn't know you in 30 seconds. Watch their face. Do they nod with understanding or look confused?

The AI test: Ask ChatGPT to visit your website and explain what you do. Is it accurate and clear? If AI can't figure you out, humans are struggling too.

The Bottom Line

We're heading into 2026 in a world that's more connected and more overwhelmed than ever. Your potential customers are tired and flooded with messages. They've developed sophisticated filters to block out anything that doesn't immediately make sense.

Being "good enough" isn't good enough anymore.

The brands that win will be the ones that cut through the noise with clarity. The ones that make it effortless to understand what they do, who they're for, and why it matters.

You might have the best product or service in the world. But if you can't communicate that clearly, none of it matters. Nobody will know. Nobody will care. You'll just become more noise.

Clarity is fixable. It takes work and honesty and the willingness to strip away things that make you feel smart but make your customers feel confused.

But on the other side? A message that lands. Customers who immediately get it. Media that wants to tell your story. AI that knows when to recommend you.

If you want 2026 to be the year your ideal clients say "shut up and take my money," let's talk. Your story deserves to be told clearly.

Want help clarifying your message? Let's talk about making 2026 your clearest year yet.

About The Author

Lauren Kwedar Cockerell is founder and president of Kwedar & Co. She is also the firm’s lead PR and marketing strategist, host of our podcast The Impatient Entrepreneur, and is a frequent podcast guest.

Over the past 20+ years, she has worked with 100s of leaders and organizations to create PR and marketing strategies and tactics that support visions and reach goals.

To connect with Lauren, please send an email above, or book a consultation.