Re: What is Dexion / Handy Angle called in America?


"Smitty Two" <prestwhich@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:prestwhich-1DD13D.23161525022008@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
In article <s307s3pv8ribhjbhbsh9s3ck45mqtsm51n@xxxxxxx>,
Ross Herbert <rherber1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

I think US citizens usually identify products
by
function rather than by brand name alone


Not always though. If one brand has a predominant market share, their
name often becomes a substitute for the generic term. Scotch tape and
post-it notes come to mind. I've never in my life heard anyone say, "do
you have any clear cellophane tape?" And Lazy-Boy to mean any recliner
chair. Non-pilots tend to think that all small airplanes are "Piper
Cubs." A lot of people call any soda "Coke" as in "I'll have a Coke."
(Actually I like Coke, and make damn sure I get it in a restaurant,
rather than Pepsi or any of the other inferior imitations.)

But, it is true that some companies go to great lengths to preserve the
real or imagined integrity of their brands. When photocopiers first came
out, people started saying "here, xerox this for me." The company ran
full page ads in national magazines that said "Xerox is not a verb." And
they won, because people started saying "photocopy" and later "copy."
Damn that must have been an expensive campaign.

Rolls Royce did something similar, after other companies started saying
"Our brand is the Rolls-Royce of televisions" or whatever. Again they
won, with enough financial clout to back their legal threats.

I can't udnerstand why xerox wouldn't want that though. So many brands
struggle to achieve a name like that. For instance in the south east US
people here say I want a coke. Not a soda, and it builds brand loyalty.
Xerox's stragegy seems somewhat counter intuitive.


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