Velcro music video begs you not to say 'velcro'
Velcro attempts to set the record straight on its trademark name with a catchy power ballad.
Xerox. Kleenex. Band-Aid. Frisbee. Velcro. These are all trademarked brand names that have been adopted as generic names in the popular lexicon. Well, Velcro Brand has had enough of this nonsense. The company, famous for its hook-and-loop fasteners, released a music video on Monday asking the public to quit calling everything "velcro."
The video brings together a singing band of lawyers to rock a power ballad about how the company owns the trademark for the word "velcro." "So please, do not say 'velcro shoes' (or 'velcro wallet' or 'velcro gloves') -- we repeat 'velcro' is not a noun or a verb. VELCRO® is our brand," pleads the video description.
Velcro also launched a Don't Say Velcro webpage that outlines attempts to protect its trademark, as well as the origin of the name (from the French words "velour" and "crochet"). The page notes that you can safely call similar products by the names "self fasteners," "hook and loop" or "closures."
The video recognizes and embraces its own absurdity, which makes it a pretty clever marketing move. You probably won't stop calling every hook-and-loop you see "velcro," but you will think more about the brand after getting this ditty stuck in your head.