When a Brand Becomes the Category

When a child falls, what do parents reach for? More than likely, the word Band-Aid^® crept into your mind. Runny nose? Kleenex^®. In some parts of the country, Coke is synonymous with soda. And there’s a good chance you use the term Google as a verb.

Few brands have been successful in transforming their name, or the name of a product, into generic terminology. Essentially eliminating the competition and any substitutes. In some cases, this scenario is the result of creating the category. Kleenex, for example, was the first official facial tissue. However, the people behind their branding deserve some credit. They established an environment where people believed in what the product was promising that they became ambassadors. Consumers solidified the term “Kleenex” as a replacement for the phrase facial tissue.

So what about your brand? Does your strategy put you in a position for category leadership? Is your product built to deliver on your brand promise? Does your team, from management to sales to service, speak the same language when advocating for your brand?

Becoming the brand for a category can’t happen overnight. It isn’t accidental. You must build your brand around an unwavering strategy to deliver what your consumers need—and to do it day in and day out until they become ambassadors for your brand. This is where some brands get comfortable. They may even lose sight of their strategy.

Some could argue that Google may have looked away briefly in the midst of its ownership of the world of search. Statistics show that Bing is aggressively—and successfully—earning market share. They are continually looking for ways to beat Google at its own game. Coming out with guns blazing, plenty of chatter and a few followers, Bing is slowing trying to chip away at the “Google” category.

If your brand has an opportunity to own a category, even within a local market, it can be done. But it begins with your brand strategy, which should be laid out as part of a long-term plan. It needs to be nurtured at all times to maintain its effectiveness and staying power. And it begins with being genuine about who you are and what you deliver.