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Making a brand so popular it becomes a generic term is every marketing person's dream, but can also become a nightmare. "Genericisation" is the ultimate marketing accolade, a sign that a household name has universal appeal and is the go-to in its field, but it can also lead to the dreaded "genericide", when a brand loses identity and distinctiveness, not to mention its trademark. Click or scroll through 60 brand names that, for better or worse, have ended up as generic terms.
Daniel Coughlin
11 September 2020
Features
Dropping the name "Baby Gays" was probably a wise move. While on holiday I booked something called a "Jeep Safari." Felt quite proud when the so-called "Jeeps" turned out to be ancient British Land Rovers. It is a pity though that the U.S. General Purpose vehicle manufactured by Chevrolet ("GP" pronounced Jeep) always gets the credit.
I once used the term portaloo in an article and got a request from the portaloo company to rephrase it as portaloo was their brand name and not a generic name.
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12 February 2018