Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/701250
90 The PCB Magazine • July 2016 Collateral is such an ugly word. As the late, great Rodney Dangerfield would have put it, brochures, sell sheets, process manuals, and other sales support tools often get no respect in our digital world. Even the convenience of downloading a PDF is scoffed at by today's mil- lennials who rely on the "Almighty App" and the "All-Knowing Cloud" to view, digest and store information. Whatever twisted mind came up with the word "collateral" to denote support literature is not giving this critical content the high cred- ibility it deserves. Today, the label "collateral marketing" spreads this cancerous term by in- cluding compelling white papers, case studies, video, and web content, thereby further de- meaning the importance of the information. I've always half-joked that you may as well call the literary masterpieces that I and others slave over "collateral damage." Collateral damage: injury inflicted on some- thing other than an intended target [1] I've actually witnessed the embarrassment on the face of a young, super-smart colleague, as if he was apologizing for admitting that he downloaded the PDF because it was easier to follow and read. Why, the shame of it all! May he drop his head in despair and walk the halls of industry tech conferences wearing the collat- eral letter "C" on his chest! All should succumb to the sanctity of the Cloud and the absolute authority of the App! But seriously... Literature is a critical organ for providing compelling data to support and validate the value propositions briefly stated in a trade show by Barry Lee Cohen LAUNCH COMMUNICATIONS Give Your Literature Some Lovin' LAUNCH LETTERS