The effect that ethos has on certain products is
extraordinary. This morning my friend asked if he could use a Q-tip? I said
sure, but when you think about it they aren’t “Q-tips” they are cotton swabs.
Q-tip is merely the name of the brand created by one manufacturer.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Q_Tips_plain_BG.jpg
This isn’t
the only everyday item whose brand name has been absorbed into the vernacular.
Most people ask for a “Kleenex” when they want a tissue, and once again
“Kleenex” is merely a brand of tissues.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/in-therapy/201004/kleenex-in-psychotherapy
It
seems that the publicists of these companies should be given gold medals for their efforts in branding their products. They
have orchestrated their products to a point where their brand name is the only
name associated with that product. These publicists have engineered the level
of ethos of their products to a point where everyone commonly refers to the
product by its brand name. It is truly a marvel to contemplate. Nowadays, new
technology is branded but is never commonly associated with its everyday name. In the future, I can guarantee that no branding will be as dominant as the branding done here by Q-tip and Kleenex.
This is so true. I have never actually taken the time to even think about this before. I know that I do this a lot with these products and even others as well as hearing other people do the same thing.
ReplyDeleteVery true, and it leads to an annoying phenomenon. Have you ever met one of those people who corrects you every time you ask for a kleenex? They drive me crazy! I don't think it works as well with Q-tips because I can't think of another brand of cotten swab.
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