Use and evolution of gadget terminology

The most accepted definition for the word gadget officially

Citing official sources, this would be the most widely accepted definition: A gadget is a device that has a specific purpose and function, generally of small proportions, practical and at the same time novel. Gadgets tend to have a more ingenious design than ordinary technology.

But the actual use that we give to this word has evolved, and it is necessary to point out that today, the term gadget is applied to any technological device, which normally has one or more functions and whatever its orientation, such as an electric toothbrush, a laser keyboard, or an alarm keychain.

Gadgets cease to be gadgets when their use is normalized or an improved version appears

The most curious thing about gadgets is that over time they cease to be. An electric toothbrush, to cite the previous example, would have been a gadget for a while, but once its use is extended and standardized, it is no longer a novel appliance, and becomes a normal and ordinary personal hygiene utensil.

On the other hand, if that electric toothbrush is updated, and an LED whitening case is added, for example, we already have a new gadget again. And this is the life cycle of these products, reinventing and improving themselves.

The current use of gadget terminology in advertising concepts

Although the term gadget began to be used more widely in the 1980s in English-speaking countries, the concept that a gadget is any fashionable electronic device is currently spreading in all languages.

Thanks to this new redefinition, hundreds of companies group all kinds of products and provide them with additional appeal. From watches, video game consoles, to drones, to personal care devices, or kitchen appliances, everything happens to be a gadget with the aim of giving the product an aura of innovation.

Definition of gadgets in advertising environments

In the previous image we can see an example of products that are advertised with this terminology.

All kinds of objects are defined as gadgets to increase public interest

Classifying products as gadgets for one or another generic function is a technique that companies such as Amazon, among others, are exploiting really well.

These companies use the different categories of the products, and they redefine them with the word gadget in front of it. For example, kitchen gadgets, electronics, for the car, etc. This increases the conversion rate of sales, and makes presenting any tool or utensil an innovation in the eyes of the potential buyer.

Examples of the use of the term gadget for advertising purposes

It should be noted that the word yes has become so widespread in all languages ​​that it is more difficult not to be able to assign it to an electronic product than to do so.

It is used to generalize technological gadgets for gifts for men or women, any type of low-cost technological tools, such as smartwatch, waist reducers, spy devices, drones and many other products, which nowadays no longer represent a novelty or advance.