Happy Birthday George Orwell

Happy 122nd Birthday to the Man, The Myth, The Legend

On 25th June 1903, Eric Arthur Blair – better known as George Orwell – was born. Fast-forward to 2025, and I’m writing a marketing article on his birthday. He’d probably hate that. But I’m doing it anyway, because Orwell has been one of the most unexpectedly powerful influences on how I think about marketing, communication and truth.

While many remember him for the dystopian dread of 1984 or the allegorical brilliance of Animal Farm, Orwell’s real power was in his clarity – his brutal, honest, scalpel-sharp clarity. That alone should be enough reason for marketers to sit up and take notice.

The Marketing Made Clear Podcast

Check out the Marketing Made Clear Podcast on all good streaming platforms including Spotify:

Orwell: Not Just for English Teachers and Students in the Middle of a Crisis

I’ll say this up front: I loved 1984. It’s a horrifying, gripping, uncomfortable read – but it’s also a masterclass in how language can be weaponised. Animal Farm is just as cutting, though far shorter, and perhaps even more unsettling in its simplicity.

His lesser-known works like Homage to Catalonia, chronicling his time fighting in the Spanish Civil War, showed me a different side – Orwell the idealist, Orwell the soldier, Orwell the disillusioned. He wrote like he had skin in the game. Because he did.

Then there’s Coming Up for Air. Let’s just say I had to come up for much air a few times myself during that one. The main character, George Bowling, irritated me to no end – like being trapped at a garden centre café table with a man droning on about how everything was better before tinned spam came along. But maybe even that irritation is proof of Orwell’s ability to create real people. Even if they’re people I’d rather not have a pint with.

So, What Can Marketers Learn from Orwell?

Marketing and Orwell might seem like strange bedfellows – one focused on selling, the other obsessed with exposing manipulation. But that’s exactly why we need a bit of Orwell in our lives. Because let’s be honest: marketing, at its worst, is propaganda. And Orwell knew a thing or two about that.

Here’s what I think every marketer can take from him:

1. Clarity is Kindness

Orwell famously said that:

“good prose is like a windowpane.”

As marketers, we often fall into the trap of flowery language, buzzwords and vague promises. Orwell would take a flamethrower to most marketing copy and say: “What are you actually trying to say?”

Want to cut through the noise?

Drop the waffle. Be specific. Be human. Be honest.

The best messaging is the stuff that feels like someone telling you the truth for the first time.

2. Watch Your Words – They Matter

Orwell wasn’t just obsessed with language. He was terrified of what could happen if we stopped caring about it. His concept of Newspeak in 1984 – a language designed to limit free thought – is a warning to all of us.

How does that apply to marketing?

Well, every time we say something is “natural”, “revolutionary” or “curated”, we should stop and ask: do we mean that? If not, why are we saying it? Orwell teaches us to be stewards of language – to protect its meaning, not just exploit it.

3. Tell the Truth, Even If It’s Uncomfortable

Orwell didn’t write nice, neat stories. He wrote uncomfortable truths. That’s what made his writing last.

In marketing, we’re often scared to say things plainly: “This product isn’t for everyone”, “This might take time”, or “We got it wrong.” But audiences today are savvier than ever. They can smell spin a mile off. Orwell reminds us that real power comes from honesty. Especially when it’s not convenient.

4. Be Wary of Groupthink

Whether it was the pigs in Animal Farm rewriting the rules, or the Party in 1984 controlling reality, Orwell knew how dangerous conformity could be.

Marketers work in trends.

That’s fine.

But blindly following what “everyone else is doing” – from TikTok stunts to rainbow logos in June – isn’t strategy. It’s mimicry. Orwell urges us to think critically. Ask why. Challenge the brief. Speak up if something feels off.

5. Storytelling is a Weapon – Use It Wisely

Orwell wasn’t just a thinker – he was a storyteller. That’s how his ideas travelled. His metaphors – the pigs, the telescreens, Room 101 – hit harder than any essay ever could.

As marketers, we are storytellers too. And we have a responsibility. We can use stories to illuminate or to obscure. To connect or to confuse. Orwell would say: if you’re telling a story, make sure it’s in service of truth – not just attention.

The Marketer’s Inner Orwell

Let me be clear: I don’t think Orwell would approve of most marketing. But I do think he’d approve of better marketing – the kind that respects language, values truth, and never underestimates the intelligence of its audience.

Orwell’s writing taught me that words matter. That stories shape minds. And that the line between persuasion and manipulation is thinner than we like to admit. If you’re a marketer, you need to understand that.

So today, on his birthday, raise a glass (or a black coffee) to George Orwell. Not just the man who wrote about dystopias – but the man who gave us a blueprint for clear, honest, and powerful communication.

And if you’re wondering whether Orwell’s influence can coexist with your next marketing campaign for dog treats or CRM software – yes. It can. And it should.

Just don’t write like George Bowling. Trust me.

TL;DR:

George Orwell’s birthday is a great moment to reflect on why marketers should care about his work. Orwell’s obsession with clarity, truth and the dangers of manipulation has real relevance in marketing today. From avoiding meaningless buzzwords to telling uncomfortable truths, Orwell’s legacy offers a guide to ethical and effective communication. Even if Coming Up for Air was a slog.