Bad Words

Like many who make their living as communicators, I came to my profession with a real appreciation of the power, flexibility, and nuance of the English language. That's why it always annoys me to see people making up silly words for ideas that can be expressed without the new terminology, like this.

When I read the article, I wondered, "what is a 'lifestyle center,' and how is it different from a 'shopping center?'"

The answer, as far I can tell, is that a lifestyle center is a shopping center, but someone is giving it a new name to make it sound like more than it is.

There's nothing about this new "lifestyle center" being build in the Houston suburbs that I haven't seen in shopping centers since I was a teenager in the 1980s. My guess is that it's just marketing silliness - trying to differentiate an old product by giving it a new name.

But that's not a new product. It's just the same old thing, with a clumsy name that is intended to make people think it's something new. It's silly, and most people are not fooled by it.

If you are selling something that's getting long in the tooth and you want to spice it up, the name is the last thing to change. First come up with a genuinely new idea, then find a name that expresses what's different. The name itself doesn't magically revitalize a tired product.

And ask yourself whether the product is really tired. The details of shopping centers change, but the concept is sound. When you're building something that people need, why do you need to try to make it sound like something new? Focus on your real value - doing something proven well.