You’re making a sandwich and go into your fridge to pull out a jar of Hellmann’s Mayonnaise…or is it Best Foods? Well, it depends where you are making this sandwich. If you live east of the Rockies, you’re spreading Hellmann’s Mayonnaise on your bread. But, move west of the Rockies and you’re using Best Foods.

Both brands have similar logos, websites and even taglines. Seems strange doesn’t it? So, why would a company create or give a different brand name for the same product in a different geography? We’ve compiled some common reasons you may find identical products with differing names.


MERGERS and ACQUISITIONS: It is not uncommon for mergers or buyouts to occur. Despite an acquisition, many brands are well-known–sometimes even better-known than the new parent brand– and retain strong brand equity. When the name of national brand is strong, the original name is often kept, even when an international visual identity is adopted. The same applies on local or regional levels. For example, when Richard Hellmann Inc. was acquired by Best Foods, Inc., Hellmann’s Mayonnaise sold east of the Rockies and Best Foods Mayonnaise sold west.

LEGAL: Whenever you create a name, there is always the possibility that someone else somewhere else has already thought of it. Often a local brand already owns the legal right to use a name, forcing a multinational company to create another name. This is particularly true in the pharmaceutical industry, which is why the same medication may have a different name in France than it does in the United States.

LANGUAGE: Words and phrases translate differently into different languages. Sometimes a brand’s name may be inappropriate or even misleading in a specific language, potentially hurting sales. Depending on the product it can be funny, or it can be horribly ironic; one example of both these instances is the Chevy Nova. “No va” in Spanish means doesn’t go…perhaps not the best name for a car.

How do you avoid any naming mishaps in different regions? Research is essential in developing a name with long-term staying power. Copyright and trademark screening will eliminate name candidates in existence and linguistic evaluations will ensure you not cursing out someone’s mother in another country. Doing research ahead of time will save you the time and money early on if you find your name already exists, and may even spare you embarrassment overseas.

Canada, South Korea and Tanzania all walk into a marketing agency…no this isn’t a bad joke. It’s nation branding. While candy bars, soft drinks and sneakers are brands commonly seen advertised, countries are now branding themselves like products on a shelf.

Nation branding is a practice which aims to measure, build and manage the reputation of countries. In the late 1990s Simon Anholt, a pioneer in the field, first argued that places and nations themselves are brands.

When you buy a Kate Spade purse you’re not just buying a handbag. You’re buying an experience, recognition and all of the associations that come with the Kate Spade name. According to Anholt’s research, nation branding works the same way.

For example, if deciding between a product made in Mexico and a product made in Japan, which would you choose and why? Countries have reputations. The way a country is perceived globally impacts much more than your next vacation. It can significantly impact varying aspects of a country’s economic landscape.

While nations have had reputations for centuries those reputations become increasingly important in our global marketplace and nations are trying to control them more than ever.

So just how do you brand a nation? Some tourism boards air commercials, while others develop catchy slogans.  But nation branding is so much more than an advertisement. It means consistent policies and making sure that government agencies are in alignment and really living the brand.

Like any other type of branding, nation branding can swing two ways: Positive brands can stick for a long time, but once a country is “branded” negatively it can be very difficult to undo the damage.  Unlike a consumer product, a damaged Nation brand could have a much more severe consequence than lagging 4^th quarter sales.

When was the last time you said: “I’m going to go use a search engine to look up information on tonight’s event.” The answer to that is either never, or sometime circa the early 2000′s, but since then it’s more than likely that most Americans say “I’m going to go Google more information on tonight’s event.” And that is my friend is brandverbing.

Companies like Xerox, Hoover, and even Google have gone to great lengths to avoid their brands becoming verbs, but why? When a brand becomes a verb you know that it has reached mass market consumer recognition, so wouldn’t becoming so engrained in society that your brand becomes part of the language be the ultimate degree of success for a brand?

So while others have fought hard to keep their brand from becoming a verb others are spending a lot of time and resources to make sure their brand is used as verbs by consumers in everyday life and conversation. Enter: Vanguard; an investment company who in 2010 began a highly visible campaign to turn their brand name into a verb.

The move by Vanguard shows that they too recognize the significance and potential payoff for their brand to be used in everyday language just like Xerox or Google has now experienced. And unlike a brand becoming genericized like asprin, zipper, and escalator (yup, these were all trademarked brand names at one point) a brand that becomes a verb is more appealing than its generic counterpart and has less risk in losing its brand appeal. Seth Godin, American author and speaker, said: “people care much more about verbs than nouns. They care about things that move, that are happening, that change. They care about experiences and events and the way things make us feel. Nouns just sit there, inanimate lumps. Verbs are about wants and desires and wishes.”

So if what Godin says is true, every brand should strive to be a brandverb when appropriate. After all a brand is more than a product or logo, a brand is about an experience and the expectations we have of that brand. So if becoming a brandverb will incite those feelings then what’s the big deal? These days I believe becoming a brandverb is not a kiss of death but the mark of success.

Keeping a brand fresh while still maintaining its integrity can be challenging. While an updated look could modernize your brand or help it stand out in a crowded marketplace, it is important not to lose sight of who you are and what your brand stands for. Imagine just how challenging refreshing your brand would be it were 125 years old. As Coca-Cola celebrates this milestone anniversary, Coca-Cola and Diet Coke cans are getting a fresh new look.

Rolling out in September, revamped Diet Coke cans feature a magnified segment of the Diet Coke logo where the “D” of Diet rests on top of the “k” of Coke. This mod design does not reveal the brand’s complete name. I guess when you’re the world’s best-selling diet soda you don’t have to worry about partial name recognition.



Not to be outshone by its calorie-free counterpart, design firms around the world have been creating special anniversary packaging for Coca-Cola’s flagship beverage. Check out ADWEEK’s collection of designs from Britain, Hong Kong and Serbia.

Coca-Cola found a nice balance with this campaign. One quintessential beverage got a sleek, edgy design and the company still embraces and celebrates its history in a fun and visually-appealing way.

What other brands have you seen celebrate milestones with special packaging?