Top 10 Brands Synonymous with a Product

Top 10 Brands Synonymous with a Product

Some brands are just so good at making their respective products, that their names have become inextricably linked to them. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’re counting down our picks for the top 10 brands synonymous with a product.

For this list, we’re looking at those brands that have become so popular within their field of expertise that consumers, and the population in general, have started referring to the product itself as the brand name. We’re only including tangible items though, so examples like Google, which is often used interchangeably to mean using any search engine, is excluded.

#10: Popsicle
Ice Pops

Ever since 1924, when the brand Popsicle was granted a patent, it has become synonymous with everyone’s favorite summer treat. The Popsicle was discovered by accident in 1905 when 11-year-old Frank Epperson left a mixture of powdered soda flavoring and water outside overnight, which caused it to freeze onto the stirring stick. “Popsicle”, a combination of the words soda pop and icicle, has sold well ever since, and has become the go-to name for ice pops, even leading to variations like the Fudgsicle and Creamsicle due to its immense popularity.

#9: Frisbee
Flying Disc

The next time you’re throwing one of these around and want to impress your friends with your knowledge, tell them you’re throwing a flying disc, because that’s what they’re really called. Yes, technically “Frisbee” is a trademark of the Wham-O toy company, and they don’t take kindly to their name being used as a general term. Wham-O’s general manager Edward Headrick perfected the existing toy in 1964 by reworking the top and rims, which led to a more controllable flight, and the Frisbee has since become a worldwide phenomenon and the leading name in flying discs.

#8: Post-it Notes
Repositionable Notes

Though it may be owned by the company 3M, it’s hard not to call what’s known as repositionable notes by the name of Post-its, even though the company’s patent for it actually ran out in 1997. These little pieces of paper are handy for sticking in and around your office as well as relocating to different areas, hence their name. Created in 1968 by Dr. Spencer Silver, these notes have transcended physical paper due to their popularity, leading to “Sticky Notes” on Windows computers, among others. While Post-it’s distinct yellow color remains a company trademark, the name is used interchangeably with other colors and types of notes by people everywhere (just not by competitors), which makes this brand practically inseparable from the product.

#7: Tupperware
Plastic Containers

Ever since 1948, when Earl Tupper released his invention to the public, these plastic containers have been storing food in fridges long after they would’ve otherwise gone bad and started to smell. Based out of Orlando, Florida, Tupperware has become the leading figure in plastic containers for the kitchen and home, earning a revenue of $2.3 billion in 2010 alone. This popularity is helped by Tupperware parties, where guests go to a gathering where the signature plastic products are put on display, and perhaps even used to store food, in order to generate more interest and sales. Regardless of how they retain their reputation, airtight plastic containers used to store food will likely always be called Tupperware in everyday speak, regardless of the actual brand.

#6: Q-Tips
Cotton Swabs

Used for a variety of reasons, including cosmetic and first aid applications, cotton swabs are probably most widely used to clean your ears, even though doctors have constantly warned against it. Invented in the 1920s by Leo Gerstenzang, his original contraption was cotton wads attached to toothpicks - but luckily, they have since gone with the less pointy approach of a rolled paper handle. His original name for the Q-Tip was “Baby Gays,” but it’s under the former term that they have become the highest selling brand of cotton swabs in the world, leading to the term being used as genericized trademark for the product in North America.

#5: Windex
Glass Cleaner

This brand’s signature blue color has helped it stand out from the rest ever since it was first released in 1933 and it has become the bestselling glass cleaner in the world. The Windex we know today wasn’t always safe, as its first formula was nearly 100% solvent, had to be sold in metal cans and proved to be extremely dangerous due to its flammability. Fortunately, it was reformulated after World War II and we were provided with the quality, streak-free cleaning power we know today, which has resulted in Windex’s leadership in glass cleaning products.

#4: Jell-O
Gelatin Dessert

Fun to make and delicious to eat, Jell-O has been the worldwide bestseller in gelatin desserts since its popularity began to flourish back in 1904. The snack itself was actually first created in 1897, but failed to make an impact until the Genesee Pure Food Company sent a large number of salesmen to hand out free cookbooks on how to make Jell-O and various recipes. This proved to be an instant success for the dessert, especially thanks to its cheap cost and easy preparation. Jell-O is still popular today, with students on college campuses getting very creative with the dessert by turning them into Jell-O shots.

#3: Scotch Tape
Transparent Adhesive Tape

Like the Post-it’s, the brand Scotch Tape is owned by the company 3M and the product itself has been used to tape things together since 1930. The name Scotch came about because it was slang for “stingy” in the 1920s, a term that was used by bodyshop painter Richard Drew after becoming discouraged with some new masking tape he was testing and referred to the people behind the sample as “scotch bosses”. The Scotch brand soon became the leader in adhesive tape sales, helped along by mascot Scotty McTape in the 1940s and ‘50s. So before you ask for the Scotch tape, just remember, that’s not necessarily what it’s called - that’s just a brand!

#2: Band-Aid
Adhesive Bandages

The term Band-Aid is used so widely and interchangeably for adhesive bandages that many people simply think that Band-Aid is the name of the product. They are wrong though, as Thomas Anderson and a Johnson & Johnson employee invented Band-Aids in 1920. They quickly became popular during World War II as modified and sterilized ones were shipped overseas. It proved even more popular with the help of the famous jingle written by Barry Manilow, and eventually became genericized and used for all adhesive bandages, due to their worldwide popularity.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
- Saran Wrap
Plastic Wrap
- Taser
Electroshock Weapon
- Escalator
Moving Staircase
- Yo-yo
String Toy
- Zamboni
Ice Resurfacer
- Vaseline
Petroleum Jelly

#1: Kleenex
Facial Tissues

“Do you have a Kleenex?” Many people have spoken that line, and many are actually unknowingly and unintentionally asking for a specific brand of facial tissue, rather than simply asking for a tissue itself. A registered trademark of Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc., Kleenex is by far the most popular brand of tissue made around the world and its name has been used interchangeably with the product since its introduction in the 1920s. Kleenex has entered the English lexicon, even being included in the Oxford English Dictionary, which signifies its role in history as a prime example of brand genericization.

Do you agree with our list? What brand do you think is most synonymous with a product? For more informative top 10s published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.