10 BRAND NAMES THAT HAVE ENTERED THE AMERICAN

LEXICONBy Jeremy Sheftel

It is a marketer’s dream that their product becomes so hugely dominant and ubiquitous that the trademark product becomes

commonplace in a society’s lexicon. This phenomenon often goes unnoticed by many, and the economic impact of adopting such words is quite difficult to quantify. Regardless, it is quite the feat for any company. Here are 12 examples of brand names that have grasped a firm hold in

the American vernacular.

Vaseline -What is it? petroleum jelly - First introduced in 1872, this petroleum jelly is referred to almost exclusively as Vaseline. Experts

estimate that Vaseline owns about 90% of the market.

Kleenex - What is it? tissue paper - Kleenex was brought to the market in 1924. Kleenex is dominant in the industry controlling almost 50% of

the market.

Bandaid - What is it? Adhesive Bandage - This Johnson & Johnson product which was introduced almost a century ago currently controls

almost 60% of the market.

Q tips - What is it? - Cotton Swab- Introduced in 1923, Q-tips are a fixture in many’s hygienic purchases. Q tips is the market leader, accounting for more than 75% of cotton swab sales in the U.S.

Tupperware - What is it? Plastic Storage Container - Tupperware, which became popular after World War II, has become wholly incorporated

by the English language and commonly used by mother’s across America for storing leftovers. Despite its dominance in our vernacular,

Tupperware has lost sales to discount competitors in recent years.

Rollerblades - What is it? Inline Skates - Rollerblades first came to market at the beginning of the 1980’s and were immensely popular

during that decade. Although Roces was the first company to commercially sell inline skates, Rollerblades’ aggressive advertising

campaigns allowed them to dominate the market, and grab a spot in the American vernacular.

Scotch Tape - What is it? Adhesive Tape - Scotch Tape became available for sale in 1930, and was soon used commonly while referring to

adhesive tape. Scotchtape, which is a product of 3M, dominates the market accounting for more than 80% of sales.

Chap Stick- What is it? Lip Balm. Chapstick, which was created in the late 19th century is used interchangeably with the term, lip balm.

Despite the recent popularity of Burt’s Bees and EOS, Chapstick is still the industry leader.

Thermos - What is it? Vacuum Flask. Thermos which was brought to consumers more than a century ago in 1904. Thermos was so

commonly used that the company Thermos lost the trademark several decades ago.

Google- What is it? search engine. The youngest addition to this list, Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded this company in 1997. “To google”

is now synonymous with searching keywords on the internet. The internet behemoth commands more than 67% of the market.

Some others include: Popsicle, Jacuzzi, Astroturf, Post-It, Xerox, White-out, Velcro, and Listerine.