In consumer communications, it’s very important to stay on top of the latest lingo for your target demographic. It’s amazing how ubiquitous some words can become and their ability to singularly communicate connectedness to a social group or trend. A couple of my favorites are “bling” and “swagger,” both of which are a little past their prime. You know a cool word has jumped the shark when it becomes fodder for a mini-van ad campaign (if you missed the swagger wagon videos, you really need to keep up).
Hopefully, I’m not too late on this one, but it appears the newest word on the horizon is “curate.” Alex Williams at the New York Times caught on to this at the end of 2009. He did an extensive article on the basis for curate as the new verb of choice amongst the cool kids. Curate is used to describe one carefully selecting and recommending a group of anything from clothes to music to party guests. I recently heard of “lifestyle curator” as a moniker for someone who is just so cool that people want to do what they do and buy what they buy. For instance, Sean Combs could be considered a lifestyle curator. Although he’s a great music mogul, we know him just as well for his fabulous lifestyle which has led to his successful endorsement of everything from fragrances to alcohol.
Fab.com, Gilt Groupe, Etsy and others like them are all considered curated online stores. Many blog sites are considered content curators, which is even a new job title.
I wonder what other words out there are waiting to be swagger jacked. Have you heard any that we should be aware of?
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