I’m not going to lie to you, Marge. I’ve been having a bit of the holiday blues, and also, at the same time, a bit of the “planning too much for the holiday” insanity. I’m just trying to tread water and make it through to some time off for the end of the year.
Today’s Word:
rescript
As in:
Advertising and marketing gurus the word over are always keen to jump on evolving trends for any new line of products that can be created to fill a newly identified need, or to re-position existing products in light of those needs. Sometimes this is as simple as rescripting their advertising to reflect the changes in the market.
Take for example, the growing need for gluten free foods.
People who suffer from dietary disorders like Celiac disease, or who have gluten allergies, are becoming a unique demographic for creators of food products, leading to the development of gluten free breads and pastas.
Not wanting to be left out of this market, food producers are scurring to improve the visibility of their brand with “gluten free” products. One orchard started including labels on their apples which pronounced their ongoing “gluten free” status.
Food producers are not the only ones to be caught up in the “gluten free” labeling frenzy. Several technology companies have started putting “gluten free” labeling on their microchips for use in computers and phones, and have started including it on their completed gadgets such as hand held planners.
Others now advertising their products as being wholly and completely free of gluten are car manufacturers, toy companies, and makers of untensils, cookware and dishes. Seven-up is reviving its classic message of “Never had it, never will,” and repurposing the “it” to gluten, instead of caffeine. Conveniently enough, there is also still no caffeine in the beverage.
However, there are some purists, who insist that many of these manufacturers are mistaken, saying that the origin of the word “gluten” came from the Latin, meaning “glue,” and they are looking to ban products which have any type of adhesive from using any “gluten free” advertising.
Should such efforts come to fruition, consumers are likely to face confusion as to whether “gluten” is a substance found in wheat, or whether it is glue. Could this lead to advertising constructions such as “gluten free gluten?” Would this be followed with lawsuits to determine whether such a phrase decribes a wheat product without adhesives or an adhesive product without wheat-derived gluten?
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I am not entirely sure about the whole “gluten free gluten” riff that came in there at the end, but, I’ve really always wanted to say “gluten free gluten,” and have it mean something.
rescript / RE – script / an act or instance of rewriting.