Advertising Iconism

Magnus

Diplocat
Joined
Apr 10, 2001
Messages
1,766
Location
Massachusetts, USA
In other words, when a product's marketing becomes so successful, the brand name becomes the 'real' name for what the product describes.

a few examples:

Band-Aid - this is a brand name for adhesive bandages, but few people will ask for anything but a Band-Aid when they have cut themselves.

Q-Tip - this is a brand name for cotton swabs, that has usurped the title.

Kleenex - this one isnt so strong as the first two but I have heard people ask for a Kleenex many more times than asking for a tissue (or a facial tissue, for that matter).

Coke - this one is regionalized somewhat to the USA's 'deep south' but if you go to a restaurant down there, you will likely be asked by the waitress "what kind of Coke you want?", where she is substituting 'Coke' for any syrupy carbonated beverage (including Pepsi, which must be infuriating to the makers of the 'other cola').

Well that's a good start, anybody think up some others?
 
Xerox - It was the first photocopier, and it's easier to say than "photocopy."

Jet ski - It's really a brand name for a type of personal watercraft, but it's become a generic description for Wave Runners and the like.
 
You have too much time on your hands ;)...

I can't think of any right now though...:(

Upon edit: Kool-Aid is sometimes used univerally as well... I had to ask Mrs. Fox for that though. ;)
 
Jeep ???? :confused:

I know it means territorial vechile (spelling).
But its also a name of a brand. what came first?
 
How about Aspirin instead of headache pill or pill against headache. :p

Aspirin is the name of the headache pill from Bayer and its contractors but it is widely used even if any other pill is wanted.
Even the official translation from German Kopfschmerztablette to English is Aspirin, at least in several dictionaries.
:D

some other things:

Personal Computer (PC) - originally introduced by IBM for its home computers but nowadays always used

Walkman/Discman - not sure about other countries, but here in Germany it is often used instead of portable cassette/CD player, but SONY has the full copyrights on this name, any other product doesn´t have the name on it
:yeah:
 
Top Bottom