We all do it, often without even realizing it: we use brand names generically. We refer to tissues as Kleenex and cotton swabs as Q-Tips and adhesive bandages as Band-Aids, regardless of brand.
Linguists call this phenomenon "genericization" or "generification." It happens when a brand name is so widely used, that it comes to represent an entire category of a particular product. Other examples include "escalator," "trampoline," and "windbreaker."
A while back, Professor Anne Curzan realized that she had done this herself when she asked a friend, also a linguist, to pass her the Reynolds Wrap. Curzan's friend looked at her and started laughing.
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"[My friend] said, 'Can you use Reynolds Wrap generically?' I said, 'Of course, can't you?' She said, 'No!'"
Curzan found the exchange so interesting, that she wrote a blog post about it. A couple of weeks later, a large box arrived at her office. Inside she found every shape and style of Reynolds Wrap, along with a note from the company saying they enjoyed her blog post.
It might sound like a good thing for a company to have its trademarked product become generic, but it's actually risky. Generic use of a brand name can threaten the product's trademark status. People may lose track of the brand itself and buy the product without caring who makes it.
To hear about more trademarked terms that have gone generic, including "jumpsuit" and "onesie," listen to the audio above.
