Virginia, I know, I know, what is the point of new language when it actually has the effect of extinguishing meaning? Surely, one risks ridicule. Thanks, Grant

Have you asked the chaps over at TWC what they think of all this – I think that would make an interesting spin on things.

Altho, I see your point I don’t think trend watchers just go out of their way to find new ‘cool’ terms. We get influenced by so much and sometimes we just want to create a meaningful, memorable term. I’ve been using ‘Hyper User’ a lot on PSFK in regards to co-creators, but should I be criticised for being ignorant of Prahalad’s work and creating my own terminology??? Influx – another great blog – are using a differetn term altogether: Creative Customers.

That said, I do think the guys at Trend Watching spend too much time trying to come up with ‘cool labels’ and not enough time with their fingers on the pulse. The more TWC bashing the better

Piers
PSFK

Rita, yes, terminological enthusiasm is for some marketers I can of product innovation. “Maybe, I’ll come up with something and everyone will embrace it!” But in point of fact, the chances of coming up with a “cocooning” are very remote, especially when marketers are filling the heavens with new terms in the hopes that one of the “hits it big.” It’s a lottery. And if we did a cold hearted assessment of this little marketplace, I think there is probably no chance that a company like TWC can come up with a Faith Popcorn triumph. Thanks, Grant

Charu, agreed, language is a commons, no branding allowed, and ditto, the sooner clients turn their noses up at “brand new language” for everything, the better. Which is to say, the place to start here is in business school, with lectures that warn students against this inclination. Consultants are nothing if not responsive to client wishes. All the client needs to say is, “I’m sorry, could i ask you to say that in plainer language.” So much of business discourse is governed by the “plain style” some of which is I think an outcome of the Protestant revolution. (At HBS, I was stunned to see that no one used metaphor. Ever! Plain style indeed.) So it has to begin with the client and upstream with the b-school. Thanks, Grant

and digressing here – about the trend of co-creation, there is a nasty battle going in in India among newspapers with respect to readers’ say in the creation of content – and ultimately, most of it seems to be a marketing gimmick – and they are sadly failing even at that… the Times of India for instance now behaves like they invented the term ‘prosumer’ (ugh) and are going to town with it…

perhaps we should be looking at how neologisms-as-fad (and countless other marketing practices-as-fad) are culturally constituted? perhaps we need to problematize marketing-as-practice… it’s not terminological confusion, it’s intellectual wasteland for ‘the new’, ‘the different’ that’s so problematic (and now i’m ranting).

Debbie, thanks! will check brand noise out now. Best, Grant

Steve, thanks, I hope it is a lack of confidence and not more craven motives. If every term is indeed a meme that works as an advertiser on behalf of its inventor, the incentive to make up a name is high, and the incentive not to use, in this case, Prahalad’s term, is also high. I guess people are afraid that the client will say, what are we bothering with TWC when we could hire Prahalad. But if you are so bad at marketing that you are vulnerable to this reasoning, they probably should be going with Prahalad. Thanks. Best, Grant

Something tells me there has to be a deeper reason.

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