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. With PR Corner: Pitching a coinage
Posted Under: Annals of publicity
Peddling a coinage that supposedly summarizes a trend is a stalwart promotional tactic. Today, for instance, I got a pitch that was built around this coinage: “deepre(ce)ssion.”
“There is a thin line between the play on words ‘deepre(ce)ssion’ and ‘deep recession,'” the pitch continued, going on to say that whoever these people are, they are a great resource for expertise for a story “on any subject relating to the oncoming deep recession.” Noted.
But I must say, “deepre(ce)ssion” is the worst portmanteau I have encountered in some time. I’m not sure how it qualifies as a play on words, nor do I understand what idea it is trying to communicate. It’s also not fun to say.
It is portmanteau that has failed.
It is a coinage manqué.
It is — yes! — a portmanqué.
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Reader Comments
All too often these so-called new phrases are just poorly constructed marketing gobbledygook. In fact, many times they’re attempting to reinvent the wheel and the failed uptake of such terms just a) makes companies look like they’re novice and may not truly understand their competitive landscape or b) as though the company is too big for its britches, as in “who are they to coin a new phrase and think that it will gain wide acceptance?” As with any market facing activity, coining a phrase needs to be backed up by a rock solid strategy and justification for why commonly accepted terms won’t suffice.