Technology has become a key part of our lives today undoubtedly. Not a day passes without you downloading your emails, or logging on to Facebook or a similar social media networking site or using google to look up some information. In fact, names of some technology brands have crept into our vocabulary too.
Here is my attempt at reproducing some sentences from our daily conversation –
- Have you googled to check out about new ideas on B2B marketing?
- Why don’t you send it as a ppt instead of as a pdf?
- Can you Xerox these documents for me please? (Not sure if this is more prevalent in India)
- Did you see what ABC company has tweeted about its product?
- Let’s Skype at 2pm today
- I bet this picture was photoshopped – it looks too good to be real!
- Here’s a really old one – you can make out that this is a Polaroid picture
Am sure I have missed more usages – do add to this list if you can.
Let’s pause for a moment and examine why these brands have become a part of our day to day lingo? Obviously, their popularity and extent of adoption globally have contributed to it. Can you imagine a day without searching for something on Google? Clearly not!
At the same time, it is interesting to dwell on why some did not make it into this – for example, although Apple products such as the iphone and ipad were instant hits, the generic term of smartphones and tablets still rule.
If a brand becomes a verb, then you know it has arrived. However, that is not an order qualifier for success.
Let me know what your views on this are.
http://www.prayag.com/blogs/branding/technology-brands-noun-or-a-verb/
(This blog first appeared on www.prayag.com)