What if ‘taste’ was a metric in corporate and internal communications?
In a landscape flooded with content (and yes — a fair bit of AI slop), we’ve been asking a simple question: What actually makes communication land?
Following a recent team wide conversation, we sat down with creative strategists Sergi Passos and Taariq Latiff to unpack their thinking on one idea that keeps coming up: Taste.
So… ‘taste’ in comms… what do you mean?
Sergi:
Taste is really just judgment. It’s the ability to decide what feels right - and what doesn’t.
In our world, that means designing communication that stands out, feels human, actually resonates. Not just something that is technically correct.
Why is this becoming important now?
Taariq:
Because the bar has moved.
People are used to highly personalised, very well-designed experiences in their personal lives. Then they come to work and get a long email or a PDF.
That gap is becoming impossible to ignore.
Is this why so much comms doesn’t land?
Sergi:
Exactly. We’re not short on content. We’re short on things people care about.
A lot of communication is still broadcast: same message, same format, same tone - and people just tune out.
You’ve said ‘taste’ is more than a nice-to-have. How so?
Taariq:
Because it directly affects adoption.
If people don’t engage with what you put out, it doesn’t matter how strong the strategy is.
Poor communication is like a leak – it taps our time, our attention and our energy. Taste could help close that gap.
Where do people typically get it wrong?
Taariq:
We sandpaper everything. We smooth it out to align with stakeholders, de-risk it, get approvals…
And in that process, we remove the thing that made it interesting.
And AI, where does that fit in?
Sergi:
AI is raising the bar, not lowering it. It’s easier than ever to produce content. Which means more noise and more sameness.
So the question becomes what actually feels human? That’s where taste comes in.
So what should teams do differently?
Sergi:
Shift the mindset slightly: From producing to designing communication. From volume to relevance. From safe to distinctive.
Taariq:
And remember: if it doesn’t make someone feel something, it probably won’t stick.
Can you measure taste?
Sergi (laughs):
Maybe not directly.
Taariq:
But you can see the effect: Do people engage? Do they act? Do they care?
If yes, you’re probably getting closer.
This is the first in a short series exploring the role of taste in internal communication — and how creativity becomes a real business lever in the age of AI.