Fauxbesity

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Even dictionary.com is becoming outdated. With our new fast paced, technologically inclined society, it seems like we don’t even have time to blink before it’s time to update again. In order to “keep up with the times” many companies are introducing their own novelities. For fear of sounding cliche, some companies have opted to simply create new words in order to differentiate themselves. Millions of products and services clutter our marketplace, so how do we stand out? Ingenuity. Marketers and Advertisers today want to tell you something different, something that you don’t already know. So they are going to coin a new phrase or define a new word to do it. That is sure to grab consumer attention…right?

Fauxbesity, a new word splashed across the pages of magazine advertisements, utterly baffles dictionary.com and my trusty old Merriam-Webster pocket dictionary. Perusing through Martha Stewart Living Magazine, this fancy little word jumped off the page, begging me to read on. Well done Subway, you caught my eye!

Subway defines Fauxbesity as a noun meaning the “half-hearted claims other fast food chains make about helping kids eat better.” It seems that so many companies have tried to say the same thing in an innumerable amount of different ways. Enough is enough, there are only so many different variations available to be fought over. So Subway decided to leave the clutter behind and reinvent the health food arena with this catchy little new word.

In my personal opinion, I think this innovative word creation is a great idea for market differentiation. Let’s face it, we are always growing and expanding, looking for bigger and better ways to stand out. Why not spice things up a bit? If it works, and people connect with your new “creation,” I say go for it! Carry on fauxbesity!

Contributed by Carrie Friedrich