The promotion that isn't really a promotion
Sometimes the new title is real growth. Sometimes it's a holding pattern with extra letters. The difference matters more than either party wants to admit.
A real promotion changes the scope of work, the level of accountability, and usually the compensation. A fake promotion changes the title and not much else — given because the person was overdue, or threatening to leave, or because the manager couldn't think of what else to do.
Why fake promotions hurt
They erode the meaning of every other promotion. They put someone in a role they haven't grown into, which sets them up for visible failure. And they make the actual promotion conversation harder later, because everyone knows the title was inflated.
The honest version
If you can't articulate what the person will be doing differently next month — and that the difference would be visible to a peer — it's a raise, a retention bonus, or a conversation, not a promotion.
Titles aren't free. Every fake one taxes the real ones.