Imagine you arrive in Quebec and decide to go satisfy your hunger in KFC.
Only...
It's not KFC you're going to - it's PFK!
What?
It turns out that marketing specialists work hard to adapt both product names and packaging
designs for the needs of different national markets.
As a result, some products that people are used to in one country may look (and taste)
totally different in another.
See for yourself!
1.
Coca-Cola Light People from Europe tend to get confused when
striving to spot Coca-Cola Light in American or British supermarkets.
What they might not know is that in these countries, low-calorie Coca-Cola is called
Diet Coke!
Why?
The thing is that in many parts of the world, "diet" often doesn't mean low-calorie, hence
the "Coca-Cola Light" label for Europe.
On the other hand, these days the Coca-Cola company is advertising a new name for this
product.
Eventually, Coca-Cola Zero is supposed to replace "Coca-Cola Light" altogether.
2.
Lenor When people from Europe, Japan, and Russia
wash their clothes, they often use a popular fabric softener called Lenor.
But no matter how hard you try to find this product in the US, all you'll see on the shelves
will be blue bottles labeled Downy.
Luckily, there's no need to despair - Downy is the same fabric softener, just with a different
name!
3.
Olay Olay, a popular cosmetics brand produced by
Procter&Gamble, has been known under many names.
Oil of Ulay, Oil of Ulan, Oil of Olaz, choose the one to your liking!
However, in 1999, the company finally made its choice, and the brand got the name we
use nowadays: Olay.
But it turned out that not all countries were happy about this decision.
That's probably why people in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Belgium still come to
cosmetics stores to buy Oil of Olaz, or simply Olaz.
4.
Cocoa Krispies Created by an American food producer, this
breakfast is a favorite choice of people all over the world.
But paradoxically, not all of them munch on Cocoa Krispies.
What gives?
It’s about the name once again!
In New Zealand, South Korea, Italy, the UK, and South Africa, you’ll buy a box of Coco
Pops cereal for breakfast.
But if you’re in Portugal, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, and Austria, search supermarket
shelves for Choco Krispies.
As for the US, here we know this product under the name of Cocoa Krispies!
5.
Tide Another product of Procter&Gamble, Tide laundry
detergent has not one, but three names!
In Central Europe, this product is known by the name "Vizir," and in Turkey, you'll buy
"Alo."
Interestingly, local marketing specialists don't only decide which name will be accepted
better in a particular country; they also determine the form of the product depending
on which type of cleaning locals prefer.
That's why in Indonesia and the Philippines, for example, you'll find Tide in the form
of soap.
6.
Mr. Clean Wanna know a record-breaker for the number
of names a product has in different countries?
Then welcome Mr. Clean!
However confusing it is, most big countries have their own names for this famous cleaning
product!
Among them, you'll find Mr. Clean in Canada and the US, Mr. Propre in France, Meister
Proper in Germany, Mastro Lindo in Italy, Mr. Proper in some Slavic countries, and Maestro
Limpio in Latin American countries.
As for Great Britain and Ireland, they have a short and straight-forward name for the
famous cleaning product - Flash.
7.
Burger King In 1954, one of the most famous American fast-food
chain restaurants got its name - Burger King.
And today, you can find these restaurants in almost 18,000 locations!
But unfortunately, you won't be able to visit Burger King in Australia.
You see, when the chain's owners were thinking of opening a branch in this country, to their
dismay, they found out that the name Burger King had already been taken.
That's why there was nothing left to do but rename the Australian branch to Hungry Jack.
8.
Vaseline Vaseline, a popular remedy for dry skin, sounds
different in Spanish and Portuguese.
That's why if you need this product, let's say, in Brazil or Mexico, make sure you ask
for Vasenol.
9.
KFC If you ever visit the French-speaking province
of Quebec, Canada, don't waste your time trying to find one of these famous fast-food chain
restaurants.
What we call KFC in the US has the name PFK in Quebec.
And no wonder!
After all, PFK, which stands for Poulet Frit Kentucky, is exactly how you translate Kentucky
Fried Chicken into French.
10.
Axe Axe is a popular brand of grooming products
for men that was launched in France in 1983.
But soon enough, just as the company decided to expand, the producers discovered that the
name Axe had already been taken by other companies in several big countries.
On top of that, for English speakers, the word "axe" could hardly be associated with
cosmetics, pleasant smells, and such.
As a result, they changed the brand name in countries like the UK, Ireland, Australia,
China, and New Zealand.
So, if you need a new deodorant when visiting these places, look for the one called Lynx,
rather than Axe.
11.
Dove Dove is a popular chocolate brand you can
find nearly everywhere in the world.
But if you come to Egypt, India, or the UK, look for chocolates named "Galaxy."
No worries though, despite a different name, this yummy treat tastes exactly the same as
the more common Dove chocolate.
12.
Danone The founder of the world-known dairy brand
Danone named the company after his son's family nickname.
And that's exactly how this brand is known all over the world... but not in the US!
On supermarket shelves here, you’ll see these dairy products labeled "Dannon."
Is it a misprint?
Nope!
It's the brand executives' attempt to make their production sound more "American."
Before the renaming, lots of customers from the US used to pronounce "Danone" as two words
- Dan and One.
13.
Milky Way People from Europe are used to the chocolate-covered
bar, Milky Way, which is wrapped in blue packaging with little white stars.
But if you want to munch on the same bar in the US, search for the one called 3 Musketeers.
As for the American Milky Way that comes in a brown package, be ready for it to taste
like a Mars bar!
Oh my, how confusing...
14.
Lay's Few people know that modern-day Lay's first
appeared in the UK under the name of Walkers more than 70 years ago!
However, in 1989, Pepsico, the producer of the Lay's you eat today, bought Walkers and
renamed its crispy product.
But guess what?
In Great Britain, they still crunch Walkers!
The popular potato chips have changed their package design, but the name remained the
same.
But that's not all!
It turns out that Lay's have other names in different countries around the world.
For example, in Australia, you should ask for Smith's and in Mexico - for Sabritas!
15.
Rexona The Rexona brand, which produces world-known
deodorants and antiperspirants, appeared in Australia in 1969.
But if you try to find this oh-so-useful product in different countries around the world, you
might be in for a surprise.
For example, in the US and Canada, this brand is called Degree, in South Africa - Shield,
in the UK and Ireland - Sure, and in Japan and South Korea - Rexena.
Oh boy, how am I supposed to remember all this?
16.
Knorr Most people know Knorr, a brand that produces
dried soups and stock cubes, but few have ever heard of "Royco" or "Continental," right?
Well, at least unless you live in Indonesia or Australia.
But in fact, it’s the same product!
"Royco" is what this brand is called in Indonesia, and in Australia, "Knorr" goes under the name
of "Continental."
17.
Becel Ever heard of low-fat margarine called "Becel"?
Nope?
And how about the one called "Promise"?
Ah, that sounds more familiar, right?
But in fact, they’re one and the same product, just in two different countries: "Becel" in
Belgium, and "Promise" in the US.
What's more, this margarine has one more name - in the UK, it's called "Flora."
18.
T.J.Maxx A renowned American retailer, T.J.
Maxx, miraculously turns into T.K.
Maxx once you go to Europe.
The thing is that in 1994, when the company decided to open its first shop in Bristol,
they had to modify the name.
Otherwise, customers could mistake the newly opened store with the British retail chain
T.J.
Hughes.
19.
Sprite In China, you won't find a bottle of Sprite,
even if you try really hard!
But pay attention to the drink called "Xuebi" - it's the same soda so many people are crazy
about.
Unfortunately, the original name wasn't the best fit for the Chinese market, so the producers
had to find another one.
And they succeeded!
In Chinese, "Xue" means "snow" and "bi" means blue-green, so the name speaks for itself,
I guess.
By the way, Coca-Cola has a different name in China as well!
"Kekoukele" (which is the name the drink goes under in this country) means "tasty fun."
Do you know any other products that look, taste, or have unusual names in different
countries?
Let me know down in the comments!
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