Fringe with benefits

Or why ‘iconic’ is the most useless word available to brands

Sep 16, 2024

Hey up

The other week, I made the last-minute decision to visit Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Even though I enjoy laughing at jokes and eating a small snack every two to three hours, I’d never been to the festival before.

There wasn’t much time to pack. With dying headphones and no book, I considered rawdogging the flight.

My girlfriend Rebecca said please don’t do that. And because she has basically completed the Fringe on Hard mode and emerged with dozens of five star reviews and every award it’s possible to win, I thought she must know the etiquette better than me.

So I reached into the kumquat-hued kangaroo pouch by my knees and fished out the Easyjet magazine.

Now

Giving a copywriter the Easyjet magazine is like giving a child two litres of cherryade and a brand new set of felt tips. They’ll be occupied for hours.

Which brings us to the main section of this post.

This isn’t my write-up of Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2024. It’s a write-up of all the things that are described as ICONIC in the current issue of the Easyjet magazine.

Later, I will expound on why iconic is the most useless and redundant adjective available to brands in 2024.

(If you’re reading this in 2025 or later, and still using the word iconic, you should definitely pack it in.)

Here we go

1. The (precious) corset bottle for the 50ml travel exclusive edition of Jean Paul Gaultier Divine Eau de Parfum

The Coca-Cola glass bottle is iconic. I’m not sure that this perfume bottle launched by Jean Paul Gaultier in 2023 is iconic.

VERDICT: NOT ICONIC

2. The star logo on this bottle of Montblanc Explorer

If you have to explain to your reader that the ‘iconic star [represents] the six glaciers of the highest mountain in Europe’, it’s probably not iconic.

VERDICT: NOT ICONIC

3. Brazilian Bum Bum Cream and the Cheirosa 62 Perfume Mist

I’m aware that Brazilian Bum Bum Cream is a big deal in a sort of IYKYK way. I have never encountered Cheirosa 62 Perfume Mist. What is the one obsession? Consumerism? Vanity? Bums?

VERDICT: 50% ICONIC

4. Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse (Travel Exclusive Design)

Tip: If you’re asking someone to ‘discover’ your icon, it may not be iconic.

VERDICT: NOT ICONIC

5. The crocodile detail on the Lacoste.12.12 wristwatch

Is the Lacoste crocodile iconic? You know what: maybe. But if it really was, would you need to remind everyone that it is?

VERDICT: SLIGHTLY ICONIC

6. The 80-year old trams on Route 12 in Lisbon

I don’t mind a tram. But is this tram iconic? Is it iconic like the ominous death knell toot of the Manchester Metrolink? Note that Lisbon Cathedral and Saint George’s Castle aren’t described as iconic.

VERDICT: PROBABLY NOT ICONIC

7. All three variants of the L’Oreal Paris Color Riche Lipstick Trio Nude Addiction (Universal Nudes to Suit Everyone)

Are you saying that 303 Rose Tendre AND 235 Nude AND 214 Violet Saturne ALL qualify as iconic?

VERDICT: SURELY NOT ICONIC

OK, that’s enough for now

There are several additional honking examples on my camera roll that we can scrutinise at a later date.

Here’s the lesson

These things appear in the Easyjet magazine but aren’t described as iconic.

The Great Pyramid of Giza
The Eiffel Tower
The River Danube

That’s because: when something really is iconic or legendary, you don’t need to remind anyone.

When we’re getting to know the characters in a book, film, or Edinburgh show, the best ‘exposition’ is subtle—not blatant or spoon-fed.

Marketers and copywriters talk about the rule of ‘Show, don’t tell’.

Brands that aspire to status and luxury can take this even further. ‘Don’t show, don’t tell, just be’.

Unfortunately, in the age of content ad nauseum, most brands fear modesty and minimalism. They adopt an omnichannel yap strategy, enabled and exacerbated by the omnipresence of GenAI and the sheer cheapness of predictable, bland writing.

It can only go on for so long.

In conclusion:

‘Iconic’ is the most overused and abused word of the early 2020s.
Instead of looking for the next big eye-catching adjective, try saying less. In the words of Lil Wayne, ‘Real Gs move in silence like lasagna’.

For those still reading, I’m pleased to bring you, for real this time: