Brands that Replace Common Words

Some brands build such a brand leverage, that they become synonyms for what they are. Some times you hear people call for a brand rather than what the item actually is. This is very hard to achieve, but if achieved, your brand is positioned in a unique way- it becomes a generic term used in everyday conversation, it basically becomes its function.  In all, the product name is adopted into the language, especially in English. Once this happens, it is very hard to compete against a product like this. They will most likely have a significant amount of the market share.   

Successful Brands that Become Synonyms for Generic Terms

Kleenex: Have you ever heard someone say "pass me a Kleenex" rather than using the word 'tissue'? This is a classic example of how the brand Kleenex is used as its common term. When I was growing up, I thought Kleenex meant tissue, on later on understood it was a brand that produces tissues.   

 

Jaccuzzi: for "Spas/hot tubs". Being first the market, they had complete market share. Today, they are a trusted and well-known brand that has also been used as a word that means Spa in every day conversation.  

 


Chap stick: for "lip balm". Recently people using lip balm tend to use Chap stick, that being the brand name for lip balm. 

 

Post-it: for "sticky notes". Commonly people use post-it rather than saying sticky notes.