People are upset with Kim Kardashian because she tried to use (and trademark) the name “Kimono” for her new line of “shapewear.” Her plan was to call it Kimono Solutionwear.
Apparently, the uproar was enough that she’s already backed down and is giving “careful thought and consideration” to a new name.
Funny that she didn’t see an issue, even though she’s been planning this product line for about 15 years. The traditional kimono is a garment worn for formal ceremonies and milestones; Kim is working on underwear.
While she’s figuring out another word that’s a play on her name (how about KimWear?), I suggest she also take a fresh look at “Solutionwear.” (Update: She went with SKIMS. Sadly, she kept “Solutionware.”)
Does she not know how much the tech industry relies on the term “solution”? Does she not realize solution is as much a buzzword as next generation, best of breed, world class, cutting-edge, flexible and robust? In his classic Gobbledygook Manifesto, marketing strategist David Meerman Scott called out words and phrases like those as “meaningless and overused.” As he points out:
“Every time you write…you have an opportunity to communicate. Your buyers…want to know what specific problems your product solves, and they want proof that it works—in plain language. Your marketing and PR is meant to be the beginning of a relationship with buyers and to drive action (such as generating sales leads), which requires a focus on buyer problems. Your buyers want to hear this in their own words.”
Kim, no woman I know would use “solutionwear” to describe these garments you plan to sell. “Shapewear,” maybe (although that also makes me cringe). Let’s see if you can come up with something better.
Image: OpenClipart-Vectors and Pixabay. Updated February 2020.
Related reading:
An easy way to avoid gobbledygook and jargon
Still reason to be cranky about jargon