Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Do you use the genericized brand name or the real word?

dontwalkhand

dontwalkhand

macrumors 604
Original poster
Jul 5, 2007
6,578
3,251
Phoenix, AZ
If there is one thing that I could fix in the world that doesn't involve politics, social issues (social issues) ando ther "large" problems of the world, it would have to be this...

Why is it that some people call...

Every Soda a "Coke"
Every Tissue paper a "Kleenex"
Every Copier a "Xerox"
Every MP3 Player an "iPod"

What now, is every computer a Mac? ;-)
Every phone an iPhone?
Every OS MacOS?
Every Car a Ford?


What are the limits, and when do people know where to stop, because I do not know anyone who would call a PC a Mac, but the same person calls every soda a "Coke."

COKE IS A BRAND! So is Kleenex, and Xerox is near bankruptcy!
 
the difference between the ones you listed and then the exaggerations that you made, is that in the first instances, the brand name one was for the most part the popular brand in that category (coke, ipod...) so i feel that is why people use that brand name. however with the computer or car example, those are not necessarily the most popular brand, definitely not mac (considering low market share, which sucks).
 
I don't use brand names except when talking about Sellotape (Cellotape?). Is Coca Cola even a soda?
 
If I want a Coke, I'll ask for a Coke… but I usually ask for Pepsi.

Although, I do hoover to keep the floors free of dust, even though I use a Dyson. ;)
 
I'm guilty of using brands to name a product, like most people, except in the case of Baind-Aids, which I call "adhesive bandages".
 
How many of you have said "styrofoam"? Styrofoam is a registered trademark of Dow Chemical for their insulation products. What packages your ____ product is polystyrene foam, of which Styrofoam™ is based on.

I call a soda a pop, because I live in Canada.
I say Kleenex.
I say MP3 player if it's not an iPod.
 
adk said:
Don't forget Band-Aids and Rollerblades
Click to expand...

Have you noticed that the Band-Aid theme song now says "I'm stuck on Band-Aid brand"? I noticed they added that a few years ago, probably to reinforce that they are a brand name, not a generic label.

I'm guilty of a few of these. I say Kleenex and Band Aid. I also do it with things Tylenol, Advil, or Sudafed. Mostly because it's easier to remember and say those brands than the actual drug names. Also, being a good Southern boy, I find myself saying Coke when I know I actually want something else.

As far as why people do this, it's mostly marketing. Usually, this happens when one brand achieves dominance in a market. For a long time, Xerox was the leading copier manufacturer, and lots of businesses had them in the office. People just associated Xerox with copying stuff. Apple has such a huge market share of the MP3 player market, that it is easy to see why people just call any portable player an iPod. Look at the accessories: 90% of them are designed for iPods. Microsoft has about 90% of the PC OS market share, so people just associate PC with Windows.
 
Welcome to the world of "slang" terminology. The American english language is notorious for generalizations, exaggerations, and expressions that are in no way accurate in reality. However, in every day usage these terms or phrases take on their own definitions and applications. This practice even crosses into the relationship of brand names to product classifications. That's why english is one of the hardest languages to learn in the world. There are definite rules to grammar and vocabulary, but in actual use the rules don't often apply. This will undoubtedly get worse as the languages of texting, email, "tweeting," and chat become more prevalent.

And don't forget that often geography also plays a part in this. For example, I'm from the South so to me all carbonated beverages can be referred to as "coke". Every waiter in the South knows that when the customer says I'll have coke that you need to follow up with, "what kind?" :D
 
Actually, that is every marketer's dream.

Companies who achieve that status must feel proud of themselves. It is a rare achievement.

However, achieving that iconic status is one thing, and keeping it is another--i.e. more people start to use the word 'copy' instead of 'xerox' because Xerox is not what it used to be.
 
coolwater said:
Actually, that is every marketer's dream.

Companies who achieve that status must feel proud of themselves. It is a rare achievement.
Click to expand...

Except that once the brand name has been genericized, the company loses trademark protections on that brand name. So, no, they won't be proud.

MarkCollette said:
Rollerblade is a brand name? Crazy. What would you even call them generically?
Click to expand...

In-line roller skates?
 
never would have guessed that *escalator* was originally a trademarked name...
I'm very guilty of using trademarked names as generic. Makes life much easier as most will know what I am talking about even if I am not talking about a particular brand.
 
Counterfit said:
Except that once the brand name has been genericized, the company loses trademark protections on that brand name. So, no, they won't be proud.
Click to expand...

Exactly. I was listening to something related to this on NPR a week or so ago. Most companies dread become genericized. They were talking specifically about Google, who have been trying to fight the word "google" being introduced into dictionaries.
 
Counterfit said:
Except that once the brand name has been genericized, the company loses trademark protections on that brand name. So, no, they won't be proud.
Click to expand...

Who needs trademark protection when you can get tens of millions of free publicity???

If I invent a small gadget, I'd rather have millions of free publicity than a trademark protection.

Also, while people all over the world may use the term 'xerox' freely, no other copier can name itself 'Xerox'. It will still be protected under trademark.
 
coolwater said:
Who needs trademark protection when you can get tens of millions of free publicity???

If I invent a small gadget, I'd rather have millions of free publicity than a trademark protection.

Also, while people all over the world may use the term 'xerox' freely, no other copier can name itself 'Xerox'. It will still be protected under trademark.
Click to expand...

If you're really interested in why companies don't want to become genericized, listen to the first half of this show.

http://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=5&prgDate=12-9-2008
 
Yeah, I can see some people being confused. Moreso with people outside the specific culture which the slang is used. Though, some terms are pretty universal. Like saying, "playing Nintendo" actually means playing videogames....be it Playstation, Xbox or on the computer...not just an actual Nintendo. Anyone would get that.

I personally try not using brand names but slip up out of sheer habit. It's too easy just to use the dominant brand name as that is what most people likely own/use.
 
And don't forget you soak away the day's tensions in a Jacuzzi™. Or is that just a hot tub?

As far as Xerox, that was a backed-into name if there ever was one. When the process of dry electrophotographic copying was perfected by Carlson and the Haloid Company, they made up a name to describe it, "Xerography." They then renamed themselves "Xerox." So in a sense, Xerox as a generic name is just shorthand for the process, and actually fairly appropriate.
 
I use the real word.

The only words that I can think of that I use the branch name is neosporin because "topical antibiotic cream" sounds weird.

Oh and KY. Sounds much better than describing the actual product...
 
I use the brand name and don't care about using a generic name.

I don't use a lot of your examples though. Apart from anything else, it took me ages to realise what the hell a band aid even was :eek:

But I rollerblade, and hoover, and google.
 
dontwalkhand said:
If there is one thing that I could fix in the world that doesn't involve politics, social issues (social issues) ando ther "large" problems of the world, it would have to be this...

Why is it that some people call...

Every Soda a "Coke"
Every Tissue paper a "Kleenex"
Every Copier a "Xerox"
Every MP3 Player an "iPod"
Click to expand...

I don't say any of those, although I've used "Kleenex" instead of "tissue" on occasion. However, this is rare.

What now, is every computer a Mac? ;-)
Every phone an iPhone?
Every OS MacOS?
Every Car a Ford?
Click to expand...

No, no, no, and no. ;)


adk said:
Don't forget Band-Aids and Rollerblades
Click to expand...

Guilty of both. :eek:

What is the generic name for "Band-aids"? Are they bandages? I always envision bandages being larger, possibly wrapping around a limb.



Love said:
How many of you have said "styrofoam"? Styrofoam is a registered trademark of Dow Chemical for their insulation products. What packages your ____ product is polystyrene foam, of which Styrofoam™ is based on.
Click to expand...

Guilty. I didn't even know this!!


MarkCollette said:
Rollerblade is a brand name? Crazy. What would you even call them generically?
Click to expand...

Inline skates, because the wheels are in-line. ;)




EDIT TO ADD: How do you pronounce the word "either"? Is it "ee-ther", or "ai-ther"?? :confused:
 
Brands I generalize: (expanded)
Kleenex
Slurpee (instead of frozen soda drink)
I usually call any debit card or credit card a MasterCard
ATM or ABM I usually call "InstaBank" machines (™ of BMO Bank of Montreal)
Instead of laptop I usually just call it my Mac
DVRs/PVRs I call TiVO
Any courier service = FedEx
Verb/Using a courier service = FedExing
Polystyrene packaging foam = Styrofoam
Band-Aid = latex adhesive bandages
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back