Brand dilution (antonomasia): how a brand name becomes a generic name

Introduction

It seems to be every entrepreneur's dream: coming up with a brand name for a product, which then becomes a household name in itself. That's brand dilution: a brand name becomes so ingrained that people use it as a generic name for similar products. Take the company Luxaflex's blinds. That brand name has become a generic name. In linguistics, this phenomenon is called antonomasia. How exactly does this work?

What is antonomasia?

Antonomasia is a figure of speech in which a trait is not described by its classical term, but by the name of another person who is commonly known as a typical bearer of that trait. An example: Putin is the Stalin of the ^21st century. One form of antonomasia is brand dilution. The brand name of a particular product or service is then so well known that we also use the brand colloquially to refer to similar products of another brand. The brand name becomes a synonym for the generic name of the product. An example is maxi cosi: Maxi Cosi is a registered brand name, but we use this term as a generic term for all child seats.

How does brand dilution occur?

Brand dilution often occurs when the product associated with the brand name dominates the market. Similar products or services are few and far between, causing consumers to view the brand name as synonymous with the product. By the time competition enters the market, the product type is already established under the brand name.

What are the risks of brand dilution?

Brand dilution seems to be every entrepreneur's dream. Everyone knows the brand name, so brand awareness of the product is huge. Indeed, it may even go down in the history books. Yet it also carries risks. Brand dilution can cause a company to lose the intellectual property on the brand name. Brand value diminishes because the brand name is no longer exclusive. If a brand name is generic, it is more difficult to prevent other companies from also using it to market their products. The distinctiveness of the brand thus decreases.

What can you do to combat brand dilution?

• Devise a strong brand, a brand name that has nothing to do with the function of the product. That way, a name is far removed from the product and less likely to become a generic name.
• Take action to prevent brand dilution with your product. For example, ask other parties to stop using your brand name as a generic name. You can also take legal action. Always involve an expert when doing so, as these are complex issues.
• Introduce your own generic name in addition to your brand name. If the competition comes up with the same product, they can use your generic name for it. Then your brand name stays out of harm's way. For example, the company Solex came up with the name 'moped'. Solex was the first to put a moped on the market and used this term to prevent all types of mopeds from going by the name 'Solex'.

10x the best examples of brand dilution

1. Listening to music on Sony's walkman

Young readers may not remember it, but the walkman was one of the most popular devices of the 1980s and 1990s. This portable cassette player became such an important part of our popular culture that the brand name became a household name in itself.

2. Blinds from Luxaflex for the window

Chances are you google "blinds" when you want to hang new blinds in front of your windows. However, the term is a brand name of Hunter Douglas, an American company with German roots that was based in the Netherlands for a while.

3. Taking pictures with the Polaroid camera

Popular in the 70s and 80s, but also in demand again today: the polaroid camera. With it, you take a picture, which comes out of the device directly on photo paper. Three guesses where Instagram got its inspiration.

4. Sending a tap

ABN Amro filed "Tikkie" as a trademark. But it wasn't long before everyone was using the word 'tikkie' to send a payment request. Through whichever bank did that.

5. Ordering Spa Red and Spa Blue

Spa is a brand name, named after the Belgian spa town where mineral water is extracted. Nowadays, Spa Blue and Spa Red are also generic names: synonyms for mineral water with and without soda.

6. Bayer's aspirin

Suffering from a headache? Then take an aspirin to ease the pain. The official name is only acetylsalicylic acid, which of course doesn't smell very good. German pharmaceutical manufacturer Bayer therefore decided to market it under the name aspirin.

7. Taking out the wheelie bin

Another well-known brand: the clicker, a plastic trash can on two wheels. We call any similar trash can a Kliko, and that too is brand dilution. In fact, the company Kliko, an amalgamation of the names Klinkenberg and Koster, began selling the first small containers.

8. Google it

Not only generic names but also verbs can arise from a brand name. Take the now common verb "to google. This means to search in a search engine on the Internet, even if we don't use Google to do so.

9. Cleaning with Glassex

Glassex is synonymous with windshield cleaner sold as a spray, even if it is a different brand.

10. Finding your way with the tomtom

TomTom NV is a Dutch manufacturer of navigation systems and one of the world market leaders in this field. The word 'tomtom' appears in the Green Book and is thus officially integrated into the Dutch language. We use the word 'tomtom' to refer to a navigation system, even if it is actually from another brand.

In short, coming up with a good company name can make your product immortal.