Marketing term -- ?

[Dooling37]

Can anyone recall from any business courses taken, or elsewhere, what the term is to define when a specific manufacturer's product becomes synonomous with the product in general?
(i.e. -- Kleenex vs. tissue, FedEx vs. over-night shipping, etc.)

Just curious..Thanks!

 

[PsychoAndy]

its called brand recognition

 

[BrunoPuntzJones]

http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/meponym.html

 

[Dooling37]

it is brand recognition, of course, but there was a more specific term I was thinking of...
that was a good link also, referring to exactly what I was talking about, although it didn't have the term exactly.

Unless I'm just imagining that I've heard such a definition before...
Thanks though.

 

[bandXtrb]

maybe "branding"

 

[Dooling37]

'generic descriptor' from that straight dope link is the closest I've come, but that's still not it...

long shot, but there aren't any marketing majors in here, are there?

 

[UofI]

brand recognition

 

[Infos]

'emotional shortcut'

 

[TallBill]

kraft dinner

 

[Dooling37]

haha...

 

[kgraeme]

I used to work in marketing. All the terms here work. The thing you have to remember is that marketing lingo is ALL MADE UP. It's not a science. And despite what they teach you in marketing classes, it's really very simple. You make something up, and convince other people to go along with it.

Some other words that can be used to describe what you're talking about:
Identity Dilution
Brand Appropriation

BTW, add Escalator to your list.

 

[kgraeme]

Oh wait, Public Domain?

 

[Dooling37]

ah-ha!
Brand Appropriation! -- that was the one I was looking for!

I understand what you're saying about marketing lingo, too.

Thanks, kgraeme -- that was really starting to bug me that I couldn't think of it...

 

[Jhill]

In Texas where I used to live every flavor and brand of soda is a Coke.