Why do companies give products different names in different countries then change the name to match

[mcgato]

@dracoi

There is an interesting issue with Best Foods vs Hellman’s mayonnaise. They’re both the same product, just that Best Foods is sold on the West Coast and Hellman’s on the East Coast.

They are actually somewhat different. But unless they are tasted side by side the difference is too small to notice. For years, the company has wanted to rename the Bestfoods to Hellmann’s, but there was too much west coast resistance. Maybe they are starting the co-brand step of changing the name. I haven’t been following along.

Yes, I did work for the company for 12 years.

[stui_magpie]

@njtt

I don’t know, but I have also wondered.

It has always seemed to me that Snickers (which means a sort of mean, suppressed laughter) is a terrible name for a chocolate bar (or indeed, almost anything). Marathon was a much better name. Opal Fruits was also a better name for fruit flavoured chews of an opalescent colour than the meaningless Starburst.

Not all British sweets have had their names changed to bring them into line with America, though. **What the British call Mars Bars are Milky Ways in America, and what the British call Milky Ways are Three Musketeers () **over there. Back in the 1980s I did see something called a Mars bar on sale in the USA. I think it was like a Mars Bar/Milky Way with nuts in it. However, I never saw one again all through the time I lived in the US through the '90s and '00s. Presumably it was discontinued. (I am not sure how it differed from a Snickers, except that it was a lager bar I think.)

It may be worth noting that all the items mentioned above are made by the (American based) Mars company. SO this question is largely about that company’s practices.

In Britain, Jif (or maybe Jiff) is, or certainly was, also a well known brand of lemon juice, which may explain why the cleaning product changed its name.

OK, I’m confused now too, because in AUS we have both Mars Bars and Milky Ways too.

[dracoi]

@Mangetout

That’s a one-shot cost. Businesses often accept finite upfront costs if savings or greater profits are projected in the longer run.

Besides being a one-time cost, it was probably advertising money they were going to spend anyway. Snickers ads are pretty common even when they’re not changing the name (at least they are over here in the US).