Bon Brand

Brands can be anonymous  little  creatures belonging to your local retailer, or big brands on national advertising campaigns, even ‘superbrands’ with worldwide recognition.  They all have their place.

This note is more interested in brands that have become acceptable nouns that mean the product and vice versa.

Hoover quickly comes to mind as the generic name for a vacuum cleaner but the was overtaken by the eponymous Dyson which has almost reached the same cult status.

I get frustrated in pubs and restaurants when I ask for a Coke and the staff reply will Pepsi do?  I love Pepsi and dislike the assumption that the word Coke meant Coca Cola, (but I suppose I started it).

A McDonalds became a Big Mac and now has a whole slew of youtube video raps. How is that for brand notoriety.

If you have a common cold do you use Kleenex or gargle with Listerine?

I Googled this list so I could Twitter the results

Babies gave us Pampers or vice versa and where would we be asking for a product other than q-tips.

Tupperware to Pyrex the kitchen has branded products that have become synonymous with their own name.

At the risk of getting a lot of extra spam I suppose Viagra has grown into a generic drug like Aspirin which is easier to ask for the acetylsalicylic acid.

On personal branding it may be an age thing but The King will forever be Elvis and The Greatest is  Cassius Clay who became  Muhammad Ali but these have not used there name but a sobriquet so fail the test to be included on this list.