[Ads-l] anti-genericization campaign: Velcro

[Wilson Gray]

This explains why I heard a “criminalist” on a true-crime show describe a
tennis shoe as “having a fastening comprised of multiple loops and hooks,
somewhat similar to Velcro,” instead of saying simply, “… fastened with
velcro.”

On Thu, Sep 28, 2017 at 12:17 AM Barretts Mail <mail.barretts at gmail.com>
wrote:

> LOL. Did you call the cheap stuff “Velcro”? BB
>
> > On 27 Sep 2017, at 21:01, Dave Hause <dwhause at CABLEMO.NET> wrote:
> >
> > About 2005, the US Army came out with a new "Universal Camouflage
> Pattern" (which actually blended with almost nothing) combat uniform with
> extensive use of what they called "hook and loop" fasteners.  Presumably,
> it was made by the lowest bidder, like so much military material, and those
> fasteners were an excellent reason the Velcro company would not have wanted
> their name used on them.  Eventually, things annoyed me enough that I found
> actual Velcro brand tape and replaced the generic crap on several uniforms
> and on other places (name tapes) I "reinforced" the generic hook and loop
> fasteners with silicone rubber adhesive.
> > Dave Hause
> > -----Original Message----- From: Barretts Mail
> > Sent: Wednesday, September 27, 2017 3:26 PM
> > To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> > Subject: anti-genericization campaign: Velcro
> >
> > Evidently concerned that people are referring to products using Velcro
> as “Velcro X”, Velcro has published a video on YouTube to discourage the
> practice.
> >
> > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oP-fZdFfOGE <
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oP-fZdFfOGE>
> >
> > In an article "Velcro Company asks 'Don't say Velcro’” by Troy Sepion (
> http://www.mypanhandle.com/news/business/velcro-company-asks-dont-say-velcro/819486846
> <
> http://www.mypanhandle.com/news/business/velcro-company-asks-dont-say-velcro/819486846>),
> the Velcro CEO Fraser Cameron is cited as saying, "There's only one Velcro
> brand. Everything else is just hook and loop.”
> >
> > Perhaps there is a difference, but I don’t see one at
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hook_and_loop_fastener <
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hook_and_loop_fastener>, other than the
> fact that Velcro hook-and-loop is made by Velcro.
> >
> > It seems likely that this is simply an ad campaign dressed up as an
> anti-genericization campaign. It’s all Velcro to me.
> >
> > Fun fact: Velcro is known as マジック・テープ (magikku teepu) in Japanese. Yes
> just like it sounds.
> >
> > Benjamin Barrett
> > Formerly of Seattle, WA
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org