I don't believe in making things unnecessarily complex and if something in marketing can't be explained simply, I start to wonder if it's a con. Any good provider should be able to explain plainly how they can be of service. In my experience, those who try to intimidate with vague, jargon-laden language aren't worth considering.
One thing I've noticed, is that people tend to dislike working with jerks. Sure, we're sometimes forced to do so due to a simple lack of options, but I think that's quickly becoming a thing of the past. It seems to me that we increasingly have more choices regarding who we spend our money with. As this happens, I think most will choose to work with nice people when they can.
Buying a lawnmower doesn't result in a cut-lawn; it's only the means by which you could cut it. Similarly, a website is a fine way to convey a proposition to interested parties and remove any doubt about your operation. But before that can happen, prospects need to find your website. This requires you to get out and spread the word.
When I see companies trying to do something exciting and different every time they approach their marketing, I worry that they're missing the point. Customers really want to know what you are, and that you'll always deliver on the same promise: "The cafe with the amazing peach pie!" or "The oil-change shop where you never have to wait." or "The technology company whose stuff always works."
When you change your direction, you lose momentum and have to rebuild it all over again. This is costly, and it can become a pattern. Those who hit "reset" every time the path gets rough find it awfully tempting to repeat this action indefinitely.
Crafting an identity is an investment that saves resources in the long-term. Not having a suitable identity is akin to wearing sweatpants and hoping that your date will look past them and see the "real you."
Your company probably has more in common with its competitors than it doesn't. So you have to move past talking about having "great quality, service, and price" and find something that's actually notable. This may require you to openly admit what you don't do, aren't good at, or perhaps what you are obsessive about.
I'd get very frustrated by this, but he continued to remind me that just saying some "was" didn't make it so. Bob's contention was that the most powerful art didn't need an artist's statement to accompany it, as it would make you feel a certain way, free of any verbal crutches.
I'm imagining your colleagues aren't stupid. But when the world changes, the rules change. And if you insist on playing today's games by yesterday's rules, you're stuck. Stuck with a stupid strategy. Because the world changed.
If the only side effect of the criticism is that you will feel bad about the criticism, then you have to compare that bad feeling with the benefits you'll get from actually doing something worth doing. Being remarkable is exciting, fun, profitable, and great for your career. Feeling bad wears off.