What do YOU call it?
By fruitcakeliz
@fruitcakeliz (2638)
United States
August 4, 2009 11:34pm CST
I find it funny that so many trademarked brand names have taken over as the common name for an item. Here are some examples of what i mean...
Do you say "honey, can you remember to buy some Q-Tips when you are at the store?" or do ask them to pick up some cotton swabs?
Do you offer someone a Kleenex when they sneeze, or do you hand them a facial tissue?
if you cut your finger, do you go to the medicine cabinet for a Band-Aid, or do you reach for a box od adhesive strips?
Is this somethign you have ever thought about? I know in the souther united states, when you are visiting a friend, they will ask you if you want a Coke, and if you say yes, you might get a Pepsi, a Dr. Pepper, a Sprite, or whatever they have in their fridge at the time.
So how about you, do you use the actual names of products, or is the name brand so associated with the product to you that you use it instead? Can anyone think of anymore products like this?
2 people like this
9 responses
@fruitcakeliz (2638)
• United States
6 Aug 09
I am sure there are more out there...i have been amazed at some of the others that people have pointed out that i couldn't come up with1 if you think of any, come back and share please!
@jillhill (37354)
• United States
5 Aug 09
I do say do you want a q-tip or kleenex...don't think about using their real name....I do however ask if someone wants a soda....and usually have a choice for them...but you are right...I use the brand name even if it's not the real thing.
2 people like this
@fruitcakeliz (2638)
• United States
6 Aug 09
It is just interesting to me how these brand-names came into being common usage for the products.
@sudiptacallingu (10879)
• India
5 Aug 09
Oh yes, this is so funny yet true…we too have our band-aids and coke and Kleenex. Some others here in India –
Cadbury’s for Chocolate
Dettol for Antiseptic
Burnol for burns
Surf for Detergent
2 people like this
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
5 Aug 09
hi fruitcake you did make me think we do that all the time and when I wrote a story once and used the brand names I was told to use
facial tissue or bandage instead of the brand names. now I really dont think that was an issue as I have read many novels in which Kleenex and Band Aids and Cokes and others like that are mentioned all the time. yes I know a lot of people if y ou ask for a coke will b ring you whatever soft drink they have at that time.
1 person likes this
@fruitcakeliz (2638)
• United States
6 Aug 09
Yes, these terms are often used in lterature or even in movies and tv...i wonder if every time someone says Q-tip on tv, they have to pay royalties to proctor and gamble, (the company that produces q-tips)?
@beatrice03 (202)
• Philippines
6 Aug 09
LOL nice topic for a discussion!... I actually thought about it, like when my brother would change my nieces diapers, he would ask me to hand him some PAMPERS (which is of course the brand name) even if it is another brand. Funny... :)
@fruitcakeliz (2638)
• United States
6 Aug 09
Pampers..there is another one. And somewhat along those lines, my mother always refered to all feminine hygiene pads as "kotex" pads....
@BambooPanda13 (867)
• United States
5 Aug 09
Great observation, I've noticed this too, and it's funny because once I even forgot what the common names were for them (like cotton swab lol). I call cotton swabs Q-tips, tissue Kleenex sometimes, but mostly tissue. And band-aids I always call band-aids unless I specifically need like bandage wrap, then it is I need a bandage. I don't use Coke to mean soda though, no one in my family even drinks Coke, so it's just soda. Another one would Chapstick. I call everything chapstick, but I've been trying not too since some stuff is considered lip balm. lol But most people refer to any lip protectant as Chapstick. But in my defense I actually use a lot of Chapstick brand so it makes more sense. Oh some people use Tylenol to mean pretty much any pain killer (asprin,ibuprofen, acetamenophin, they just say Tylenol).
2 people like this
@fruitcakeliz (2638)
• United States
5 Aug 09
Chapstick and tylonol...those are both good ones.
I work in the health and beauty section of a grocery store and you woudln't believe how many times people using tylonol to refer to any type of pain releiver has caused issues. I will go up to a customer who is looking at the shelves of medicine, searching for something, and ask if i can help them find anything in particular. They will respond that they are looking for "Tylonol" so then i will ppoint out all the differnt types and sizes we have on the shelf, and point out our store brand aecetominiphen as an alternate choice. Then all of a sudden they will spot what they were really looking for and come up with a bottle of advil....Sometimes i just want to try to explain to these people that there is a difference between aspirin (Bayer, etc.), aecetominiphen (Tylonol etc., ibuprofen (Advil etc.) and naproxen sodium (Aleve etc.)....but i realize it would probably be a waste of my breath.
Just makes me feel stupid, as if the customer had said ibuprofen instead, i would have pointed them in the direction of the Advil and others...
@GardenGerty (160909)
• United States
5 Aug 09
The other one I think of is Thermos.I call them by their name brand, often. I knew about cokes in the south, and the others. You gonna carry a thermos, even if it is an Alladin product? Oh, do you want some gelatin dessert? (Jello) I will put some Jello in my Thermos. Okay? Then I will join you for a coke.
1 person likes this
@fruitcakeliz (2638)
• United States
5 Aug 09
LoL...another couple good ones, thermos and jell-o....i use those all the time too. I wonder if it originates because when the product first came out, those brands were the only ones marketing the product?
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@ChrysanTflower (1607)
• Indonesia
5 Aug 09
It's funny! And yes, here in my country, the top and first brand of mineral water is "Aqua" so I found almost peoples in restaurant(and even in the menu list of that restaurant) and in my school canteen, if they wanna order mineral water they will say "Aqua" instead of "mineral water" and what they get can be other brands like "Ades" or "Prima".. Beside that, "Indomie" is the top brand for instant noodle in my country, so if people wanna buy instant noddle they will say they wanna buy "indomie" evethough they mean they will buy other brands like "Sarimi", etc.. Even if we ask the shopkeeper in department store for instant noodle shelves, we ask for "Indomie" shelves.. I think that brand must be trademarked before peoples have habit to say it instead of real product..
1 person likes this
@fruitcakeliz (2638)
• United States
5 Aug 09
Once again, thank you for the insight into your countries ways of doing things. It is very intriguing to learn things such as this. It really makes you realize that no matter where you live, we all have the same problems, issues and quirks.
@tiffaniemiller (13)
• United States
5 Aug 09
Here is another one, Pam. I would never just call it 'non-stick cooking spray', that is too many words! It is funny that we do call all of those things by the brand name, and for me, Coke is the exception. I don't know why, but that has always bugged me when people would ask for a Coke, and not want Coke! Or offer me a Coke, and not actually have Coke. I just don't get that one.
1 person likes this
@fruitcakeliz (2638)
• United States
5 Aug 09
I know, right? When i was on a trip down south and a family friend asked if i would like a coke, i said sure...and when they brought back a glass of soda i tasted it and it was definately not coke! I looked at them and said this taste kinda different..is it a new type of coke or something? They were like no...it's just the store brand cola.
