Eponymy

Practical Sales Training™   > How to connect with your buyer  > Eponymy

What is it?

Eponymy is all about using your brand name as “the thing” (noun).

 

Why does it work?

It works because it means your buyers and potential buyers will reference your offering by name and have a deeper connection to it than a simple brand name.

Plastic boxes are known as “Tupperware”, pens are “Biros” and hot tubs are known as “Jacuzzis” but these are brand names that have become “the thing”.

 

How can you use it?

Achieving brand name noun status is possible in one of two ways:

  1. You are the first mover in a space and as such “define” the “thing” that you do.
  2. You are the market leader in a space and through your sheer volume of clients and your profile.

Remember – The Burden of Proof is on you to educate the market to use your brand name as a noun.

 

Hypothetical Example:

A startup launches a new AI meeting summariser called “Notably.” At first, customers describe it as “an AI note-taking app.”

To drive eponymy, the company consistently markets phrases like:

  • “Did you Notably that meeting?”

  • “Send me the Notably.”

  • “Teams that Notably, win.”

They build campaigns where the action itself is tied to the brand name, much like how “Google it” replaced “search for it.”

As the product gains popularity, users naturally start saying:

“Don’t worry about taking notes-just Notably it.”

Here, the brand name becomes the default noun/verb, embedding itself into everyday language.

 

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