Why does everyone keep marketing LED signs/light strips as "neon?"

[sodium]

It's really annoying to look up a neon light just for one of those little LED lamps to appear.

[Beta 5]

Yes it is annoying, those are anything but what a proper neon tube is. They may be cheaper and easier to manufacture and handle, but neon they are not.

[Slyspark]

Agreed.

I had an argument with one of those sign companies once about neon. Asked if they could supply proper neon (was clear they couldn't) and the woman who kept replying was insisting it was. When I had to explain what I meant by proper neon, the reply was 'oh, no-one uses that any more' so I told her to forget it as that's what I wanted, not some cheap tat. Didn't go down too well...