Many words that we use in our everyday life were at first used as brand names. Eventually they turned into generic terms and this is probably the dream of every new brand. However, some brands don’t like that their name is used in a broader aspect than designed. That’s why we decided to discuss 4 brand names that are used as common words in our lives.

Kleenex

The wet tissues popular with the generic term “Kleenex” are called that way because at first there was a brand Kleenex. Eventually the brand name sneaked in everyday talks and turned into a generic term. “Do you have any kleenex?” We bet you’ve heard this question at least once. Now you know.

Ping Pong

Forget the name of the game. Remember the name of the brand. That would suit as the perfect slogan of this article. Ping Pong is not a name of a game. Ping Pong is a name of a brand of table tennis products. The idea behind the name is well-known – the sound the ball makes when hits the table is turned into name. But what’s important is we have another brand name that grew into more than itself.

Weed eater

Weed eater is a genius name. Its meaning is quite literal and it’s easy to assume that it is a weed cutting product. It was trademarked bu Husqvarna and is part of their outdoor product range.

Xerox

Xerox is entirely next level brand-name-turned-into-slang. In 2010 the company ran a campaign trying to prevent the use of the word “xeroxing” instead of photocopying. “Use Xerox only as an adjective to identify our products and services”. The brand probably faced certain issues because of the widespread use of xerox as a verb and asked the people to change the language.

Which brand name from the above have you ever used as generic term?
If your ambition is to name your brand with a name that will serve as a generic term as well, maybe you need professional brand naming service. Contact us for more info ;)