The Ultimate List of Eponyms Examples: Brands that OWN the Market
Last updated on March 22, 2020 - My Free Marketing newsletter 👀
There are so many products where the name of it is what the market calls it. You know like when you say I want a Kleenex. You actually want a Tissue but Kimberly-Clark did a great job getting us to call it Kleenex instead. Here's a list of eponyms and examples of eponyms.
- Band-Aid : Bandage : Owned by Johnson & Johnson
- Coke : Delicious soda : Owned by Coca-Cola
- Escalator : Escalator : Owned by Otis Corporation
- FedEx : Overnight Mail : Owned by FedEx
- Google : Search : Owned by Google
- Jeep : Truck : Owned by Chrysler
- Jell-o : Gelatin : Owned by Kraft Foods
- Kleenex : Tissues : Owned by Kimberly-Clark
- Lazyboy : Recliner : Owned by La-z-boy
- Legos : Plastic blocks : Owned by Lego Group
- Netflix : DVDs by Mail : Owned by Netflix
- Polaroid : Instant Photos: Owned by Polaroid
- Post-it Notes : Sticky Paper : Owned by 3M
- Q-Tip : Cotton Swab : Owned by Kimberly-Clark
- Rollerblade : Roller skates : Owned by Rollerblade
- Saltines : Crackers : Owned by Nabisco
- Scotch Tape : Tape : Owned by 3M
- Sharpie : Marker : Owned by Sanford
- Taser : Electronic Shock Device : Owned by Taser
- Tivo : Digital Recorder : Owned by Tivo
- The Club : Anti-Theft Device : Owned by Winner
- Tobasco : Hot Sauce : Owned by Heinz
- Tylenol : Headaches / Acetaminophen : Owned by Johnson & Johnson
- Walkman : Tape Player : Owned by Sony
- Windex : Window Cleaner : SC Johnson
- Vaseline : Petroleum Jelly : Owned by Chesebrough-Pond's
- Xerox : Copies : Owned by Xerox
- ChapStick : Lip Balm : Owned by Pfizer
- Velcro : Hook-And-Loop Fastner : Owned by Velcro
- Crock-Pot : Slow Cooker : Owned by Crock-Pot/SunBeam Products
- Xerox : Copies : Owned by Xerox
81 responses to “The Ultimate List of Eponyms Examples: Brands that OWN the Market”
X-Acto: Hobby Knife: Owned by Elmer’s Products, Inc.
Zoom for video conferencing or virtual communication
FaceTime (video call by mobile phone)
Zoom (video conference call by computer)
Hoover. We are actually vacuuming when we say Hoovering.
Dremel is eponymous with powered hand tools for fine work.
Crockpot
Pampers = diapers owned by Pampers
Velcro
Chapstick
A1 (Steak) Sauce: Owned by Kraft Foods
Formica - plastic laminate
WWE for professional wrestling
Depending on when you grew up, Nintendo might also be on this list. I know my parents (and many other people's parents) referred to ANY game system as a "Nintendo" for a while.
"Tater-Tots" is a registered trademark of Ore-Ida (founded by my grandfather and his brother who invented the Tater-Tot) ~ I constantly see menus listing 'Tater-Tots' as an option but invariably find out they are not serving Ore-Ida. The "Tater-Tot" is at the top of my eponym ist 🙂
gummie bears
this was great 😉
Velcro : hook and loop fasteners : Owned by Velcro BVBA
more:
netflix, squatty potty, uber
Tupperware is missing
You're missing Koozie!
Frisbee should be on the list. A flying disc made by Wham-O. Also, my father says so.
how about Caterpillar as eponymous for bulldozer?
Zip loc bags
Ziplock bag, Tator Tots and TiVo. A few more to consider.
Ace Bandage and Frisbee.
Photoshop : Digitally photo edit : Owned by Adobe
You forgot about Popsicle
Vaseline crisco and Vicks
Crock pot
Vespa
How did you all miss hook and loop fasteners? --- Velcro
Frisbee, chap stick, frisbee