fresh_eyes
happy to be here
- Messages
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Hi guys. So, in marketing terms, CFS has a branding problem. Our brand is associated with all sorts of horrible things (laziness, malingering, arrrgh don't get me started
). So: if we have a chance to change the public perception of our disease - and I think we do, in light of recent developments and media interest - how do we want it to change? What do we want people to think when they think CFS?
The first thought that comes up for me is the name itself. Lots of tainted brands, like Blackwater and AIG, change their names, which would be A LOT easier, but I'm thinking that an actual name change is probably not in our near future (even if XAND takes off, it might not apply to many in our community who are thus far apparently XMRV-). So how can we rehab the CFS name? For one thing, what if we tried to get away from "Chronic Fatigue Syndrome" and stuck with "CFS"? I mean, much of the public probably doesn't know what MS or ALS or even AIDS stand for...
EDIT: Another thing I keep thinking is that too much of the communication about CFS emphasizes "IT'S REAL!" Honestly, I think we'd be better off talking as if of course it's real. Too much "IT'S REAL!" has got to make people think that maybe it's not.
The first thought that comes up for me is the name itself. Lots of tainted brands, like Blackwater and AIG, change their names, which would be A LOT easier, but I'm thinking that an actual name change is probably not in our near future (even if XAND takes off, it might not apply to many in our community who are thus far apparently XMRV-). So how can we rehab the CFS name? For one thing, what if we tried to get away from "Chronic Fatigue Syndrome" and stuck with "CFS"? I mean, much of the public probably doesn't know what MS or ALS or even AIDS stand for...
EDIT: Another thing I keep thinking is that too much of the communication about CFS emphasizes "IT'S REAL!" Honestly, I think we'd be better off talking as if of course it's real. Too much "IT'S REAL!" has got to make people think that maybe it's not.