What does "ubiquitous" actually mean?
It just feels right to call things ubiquitous, because that just sounds so lofty and clever. Metaverse, Bitcoin, NFT and other terms from the digital wonderland are ubiquitous or omnipresent. The former just seems a bit dusty and the latter even firmly in the style of the noughties. And since "all-or-nothing" currently applies everywhere in communication and marketing, [...]
It's appropriate to describe things as ubiquitous, because it just sounds so lofty and clever. Metaverse, Bitcoin, NFT and other terms from the digital wonderland are: ubiquitous or omnipresent. The former just seems a bit outdated and the latter feels firmly in the noughties. And since "all-or-nothing" currently applies everywhere in communication and marketing, i.e. something either works properly or not at all, the adjective is also perfectly suited here. Even if its original areas of application are actually biological or theological contexts: Our industry is used to stealing terms from other specialist fields and appreciating them. Biology calls the characteristic of living beings not being bound to one location ubiquitous, in theology it means the omnipresence of a god. In business, and therefore in marketing, something is called ubiquitous if it is used everywhere (campaigns) or is available everywhere (products).Important in the age of omnichannel
The origin of the word lies in Latin. This is reason enough to make those who use it seem more academic. It derives from the Latin adverb ubique which can be easily controlled with everywhere can be translated. Even the Duden dictionary says that in its general meaning it is part of the elevated language. So anyone who uses it receives a kind of accolade from the very top. But what are we trying to say? Everyone would like to be present everywhere: omnipresent. But it's the noughties and omnichannel marketing is almost impossible to win a flower pot with small talk. If you believe the Omni-Channel Maturity Index (ORI) published for the third time by Swiss bricks-and-mortar retailers, then we're not doing too badly in Switzerland. Thanks to the near-duopoly of Migros and Coop and all their subsidiaries and sisters, that is. They are by far the best at making goods (soon also alcoholic beverages) available everywhere and for everyone. However, the need is not a purely Swiss one. The tech giants in the USA in particular are increasingly going back to brick-and-mortar (physical/stationary points of sale): Amazon and Tripadvisor are leading the way with their stores. However, very few people can afford to be present everywhere. That's why the word is also used where things are "only" widespread, which seems to be the case even more quickly in the increasingly narrow bubbles of social media.* Benno Maggi is co-founder and CEO of Partner & Partner. He has been eavesdropping on the industry for over 30 years, discovering words and terms for us that can either be used for small talk, pomposity, excitement, playing Scrabble, or just because.
