Do Microsoft Employees Google Stuff?

If you use any of the many Microsoft products, you've probably seen their new ad campaign, "Bing It On!" It is yet another attempt by Microsoft to encourage customers to use their brand name as a verb. After all, you've probably "googled" lots of things, so why not "Bing" it? For one, it's not very catchy and secondly, the Microsoft search engine still hasn't gained much market share. But it made me wonder, why Microsoft would actively court this type of brand mutilation?

When a brand name reaches the point where it is used as the generic term for a product or service, it's called brand genericide. It has happened to many brands through the years and it can even cause a company to lose its trademark on the brand completely. Brands like Xerox, Rollerblade, Band Aid, Frisbee, Linoleum and Jello-O have all been struggling with this problem. In order to keep their trademarks, they have to prevent people from misusing their brand.

A large part in building a brand is finding a way to make customers remember it. However, if you go into a store wanting to buy some band aids and come out with a box of 3M adhesive bandages, this brand recognition doesn't benefit the company at all. To combat this, the company has to actively try to prevent their trademarked brand from becoming generic. A good example of this is the old Johnson & Johnson slogan for adhesive bandages. Originally, the slogan was, "I'm stuck on Band Aids, because Band Aid's stuck on me." In the early 1980's the slogan changed to, "I'm stuck on Brand Aid brand, because Band Aid's stuck on me." With the change, Johnson & Johnson hoped to reinforce their branding and remind customers to purchase Band Aid brand products, rather than just buy band aids.

Although having your brand used as a verb, or as shorthand for your product or service, is an indicator that you're a leader in the field, it can often backfire and have a tremendous cost. At some point, the brand name loses all value and ceases to represent a specific product. When that happens, customers aren't able to differentiate between your product and your competitors. For example, the escalator was originally trademarked to Otis Elevator Company. Now, the term can be used for any moving stairway. One company that has faced this problem the most is Wham-O. The Frisbee, the Hacky Sack and even the Hula Hoop were all trademarked to Wham-O but you can go into a store today and buy a product by another company without even realizing it. According to U.S Trademark law, when a brand has been determined to have become a generic trademark, the company forfeits their rights to the trademark.

In the fast moving world of technology, the struggle of brand identity is even more intense. Although the first official use of Google as a verb was credited to Google co-founder and then CEO, Larry Page in 1998 - the company is hesitant to encourage its continued misuse. In a statement on the official Google Blog, the company has this to say about the problem:

"While we're pleased that so many people think of us when they think of searching the web, let's face it, we do have a brand to protect, so we'd like to make clear that you should please only use "Google" when you’re actually referring to Google Inc. and our services."

In spite of their protest, the Merriam-Webster dictionary lists the word "google" as a transitive verb which is often capitalized. They define the verb "to google" as "to use the Google search engine to obtain information about (as a person) on the World Wide Web."

As you can see, the fight to stop the generic use of their trademark is an uphill battle and one that can have steep costs. If Google were to just accept the incorrect usage of their brand, Microsoft could simply encourage their users to use the Bing search engine to google things, which would be a huge hit for the search giant.

So, what does this have to do with sales? Well, whether you are selling a product, a service or simply selling yourself, your brand identity is crucial. In order to effectively market your brand and encourage customer loyalty, your brand has to stand out without becoming generic. According to INTA, there are a few things a company can do to prevent trademark genricide:

Use the generic name of the goods with the trademark (Q-Tips cotton swabs) (and, if your product is the first entrant, come up with a generic term for the product);
Give proper notice of a registered trademark to consumers by using either: “Registered in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office” or “Reg. U.S. Pat. & Tm. Off.” or the letter R enclosed within a circle, ®. 15 U.S.C. § 1111. For an unregistered mark, use TM;
Distinguish the trademark from surrounding text by capitalizing the trademark, using a distinctive typeface, or at the very least, capitalizing the first letter of the trademark;
Use the trademark as an adjective (KLEENEX tissues);
Do not use the trademark as a noun (KLEENEX);
Do not use the trademark in the plural (incorrect: buy two DR. PEPPERS; correct: buy two DR. PEPPER soda beverages);
Do not use the trademark as a verb (incorrect - XEROX the document; correct - make a copy using a XEROX copier);
Do not abbreviate the trademark or alter it in any way (use H&M and not H and M);
Use the trademark on a line of products rather than a single product (NIKE, used on sneakers and clothing);
Object to others’ misuse of the trademark;
Educate the public, including individuals within the trademark owner’s organization, distributors, dealers, and consumers, to ensure proper usage of the trademark. Misuse often occurs due to lack of education, not wrongful intent.

These are all important steps for everyone, especially sales professionals. The way that you refer to your brand name is an important part of preventing trademark genericide. As for Microsoft, despite their frequent statements to the contrary, they have actively encouraged Bing users to adopt the word as a verb. It still hasn't caught on. In fact, it turns out that even at Microsoft's headquarters, employees rarely ever "Bing it."

Do Microsoft Employees Google Stuff?

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