Top ad exec calls Google ‘frienemy’

Posted by Cory Bergman on December 5, 2006

Martin Sorrell, CEO of WPP Group, the world’s largest ad buyer, said his team has come up with a word that illustrates the caution that surrounds working with Google: “frienemy,” or a cross between friend and enemy. “On the friendly side, they want to work with our top 50 clients,” he said. “(But) they’ve hired people to make ads.”

Joe

The term has been around for several years (check Urban Dictionary). Somebody should come up with a word for fake neologisms.

Neofauxgisms? (I don’t know if I made that up or not.)
http://pegasusnews.com Mike Orren

I prefer collaboratition.
Dave

My organization uses “co-opetition.” All of these words, really, are kinda lame. And they ignore that the business paradigm (there, another lame word) has shifted, a long time ago, in fact.
thedetroitchannel

they could have resorted to calling google their “enema”; part enemy, part enigma.
Steve

“Frienemy” is a NEW word? I just came up a phrase to describe how I feel about it — what do you all think about “totally tubular”??

Sorrell should tell his “team” to stop being plagaristic hooligans and actually come up with something original.

This sounds like the time my Dad told everyone about my new MP3 player. “Hey, everyone… my son just got a new music device… he calls it an IPOD! He says he came up with the word to illustrate the listening enjoyment it provides!”
http://www.barc.de Barney Finucane

I would suggest “symbiot”. It means the same thing.
Marion Finucane

yes, but “frienemy” has a lilt and sounds so much more FUN than “symbiot”.