Pointless product brand name changes... [Archive]

Pauro 76

07/04/2006, 2:55 PM

This week Dixons changed its name to Currys.digital. But do you say it 'Currys Digital' or 'Currys Dot Digital', either way ridiculous, Im going to pop down to Currys.digital to buy an iPod. Dime bars have now changed to 'Daim' bars. but is it still pronounced 'Dame' or 'Dime'... Jif is now 'Cif' pronounced 'Siff'.. Opal Fruits to Starburst, useless and pointless. Coco Pops to Choco Krispies. Even in the jingle it sounded silly when it changed. any other pointless brand name changes you can think of?

Oh yeah forgot, Home Farm to Dublin City, theres one...:D

max power

07/04/2006, 3:01 PM

Pauro 76

07/04/2006, 3:48 PM

so paruo your working hard over there in London, no time to think of mindless stuff then:D

Just drifting along watching the day go by. These things kind of enter your head on a quiet Friday....;)

paul_oshea

07/04/2006, 4:39 PM

pauro, the intial change over is going to cost them 6 million squid, but there after it will be a saving of 3 million a year.

so i can see where its coming from really....

pete

07/04/2006, 5:27 PM

Always knew Dixons was same as Currys.

Jif changed to Cif i think because jif meant different hinks in different countries so now got commpn name worldwide.

I suppose the goal of marketers would be to havew 1 global name but it can be very difficult with so many languages...

The Green Hen

07/04/2006, 5:32 PM

One That I Hate:

David Brown (example 990 Selectamatic) Is Now Known As Case International. Put That In Yer Pipe And Smoke It.

pineapple stu

07/04/2006, 6:20 PM

Marathon bars.

soccerc

07/04/2006, 6:23 PM

Nunch Bars

Thunderblaster

07/04/2006, 6:50 PM

TnaG to TG4, Radio Ireland to Today FM, Radio 2 to 2FM, RTE 2 to Network Two and back, Newton Heath to M*******er United.

hamish

07/04/2006, 7:10 PM

Thames Ironworks FC to West Ham United hence "The Irons" and/or "The Hammers".

Jif to Cif.
Kerrs Tribe to Green Tribe to Queen Julie of Tottyland
Dahamsta to Ken Shabby to Dahamsta;)
French Fries to Freedom Fries:rolleyes:
Galway Rovers to Galway United:)
aidoB to aidoM to aidoB/aidoM
Micky O'Connor to....legend.

pineapple stu

07/04/2006, 8:21 PM

UCD to UCDD. :rolleyes: :mad:

Aberdonian Stu

07/04/2006, 9:32 PM

Well many of them are silly but I think the reasoning behind Marathon becoming Snickers and Jif becoming Cif is fair enough as they wanted to have the same name everywhere and in both cases the latter was more common internationally.

Réiteoir

07/04/2006, 10:00 PM

Jif changed to Cif becuase it was found that the continentals couldn't pronounce the word "Jif"

Drumcondra Red

08/04/2006, 10:02 AM

D2 Red to Anto McC, whats with that??? :D

Neish

08/04/2006, 8:51 PM

Jif changed to Cif becuase it was found that the continentals couldn't pronounce the word "Jif"

Did JIF not mean whore in some language, or was that one of them urban myths?

sligoman

08/04/2006, 10:31 PM

Did JIF not mean whore in some language, or was that one of them urban myths?Think it meant something "bad" in Spanish anyway, can't remember what though.

Ash

10/04/2006, 12:24 PM

God bless Wikipedia

Cif is a brand of cleaning products by Unilever, known as Jif in Australia and New Zealand.

The Jif brand was also used in several European markets (Great Britain, Ireland, and the Netherlands)
until 2001, when the name was changed to Cif in order to harmonise marketing and product inventories
across the continent. The name Cif was chosen partly because it was used in more markets, partly
because it was perceived as a better name across the range of European languages, and also it was
thought thats people living across Europe could not properly pronounce the word "Jif" and partly because
of the potential for confusion, in Britain, with the unrelated Jif lemon juice.

Didn't Irish Mist whiskey have to be re-branded in Germany cos "mist" can
translate to sh!t in German?

Billboards all over the place telling Germans to Enjoy Irish Sh!te :D

Actually I remember when Marathon changed to Snickers and there was a terrible tv
advert with a former Neighbours actor playing the part of a backpacker in Australia
going into a shop looking for a snickers. The shopkeepers thought he was saying
sneekers and kept looking at yer mans feet.

Jesus I hated that ad!

Macy

10/04/2006, 12:41 PM

It's to do with harmonising the names over several/ all markets. This means reduced packaging costs - as can buy in bulk, and less down time on production lines, due to package changeovers.

Roadend

10/04/2006, 2:26 PM

Rosemary Scallon - Dana
Paul Gadd - Gary Glitter
Damned re-branding.......

ali2005

10/04/2006, 2:29 PM

Puff Daddy to P Diddy
P Diddy to Diddy

aido_b

11/04/2006, 8:57 AM

aidoB to aidoM to aidoB/aidoM

we're not the same person i tells ya!

hamish

11/04/2006, 1:10 PM

we're not the same person i tells ya!

Ah, just "feeding the myth" aidoB/aidoM.:D

Actually, I should have remembered this. Garbally FC to "B" United to Ballinasloe FC to Ballinasloe United FC to Garbally United FC to Ballinasloe FC (again) to Dubarry Apaches FC to Creagh United to Ballinasloe Town FC. LOL

Jerry The Saint

11/04/2006, 3:17 PM

partly because of the potential for confusion, in Britain, with the unrelated Jif lemon juice.

Jack Dee had a funny bit about the kind of idiot that would make that mistake between the lemon-smelling, lemon juice that comes in a little lemon-shaped container and the bathroom scourer with a picture of a bath on it - "How many pancake days were ruined...?" :D

Troy.McClure

11/04/2006, 9:55 PM

Ye forgot phootball.ie to foot.ie! ;)

And what was wrong with "The Examiner", not to mention "The Cork Examiner"?

Ah, better days

PS Its Newton Heath to Manchester Unitede Football Club to Manchester United Football Club PLC to Manchester United PLC to Manchester United (no FC or PLC anymore)

hamish

11/04/2006, 10:14 PM

Seriously, was Foot.ie once called Phoootball.ie???:confused: :)

Pauro 76

12/04/2006, 9:39 AM

Ye forgot phootball.ie to foot.ie! ;)

was it not phootball.com? :confused:

aido_b

12/04/2006, 11:06 AM

childrens bbc to bbc childrens!

Schumi

12/04/2006, 1:20 PM

Seriously, was Foot.ie once called Phoootball.ie???:confused: :)
phootball.com as stated above. It was in black and white in those days too to save on printing costs. :D

pete

12/04/2006, 1:22 PM

phootball.com as stated above. It was in black and white in those days too to save on printing costs. :D

Cheaper licence fee too to read. :)

CraftyToePoke

12/04/2006, 9:34 PM

blisteze to blistex.........

and not strictly on topic but when i hear people say in relation to mk dons, that they beat liverpool in the famous fa cup final in the 80's .......... no they fuc£in didnt.

Thunderblaster

13/04/2006, 12:09 AM

Knock Airport to IWAK. What the hell is IWAK? It really sounds like some Native American Indian tribe to me. Is Sitting Bull the CEO? Are smoke signals used to direct air traffic? Are passengers greeted by a tomtom band at the arrivals hall? Does immigration line up undesirables and shoot them with bows and arrows? Hey, all this is too sophisticated for something in the middle of a bog. Welcome to IWAK where you enter the uncivilised, backward part of the world.:D

CollegeTillIDie

13/04/2006, 1:45 PM

Jif changed to Cif becuase it was found that the continentals couldn't pronounce the word "Jif" No it was cause in the UK there was a lemon juice product also called Jif and they sued.

By the way Lynx Shower gel, deodorants etc is known as Axe in Continenatal Europe.

Marathon bars. changed to Snickers which confusingly is also a brand of industrial clothing.

And what was wrong with "The Examiner", not to mention "The Cork Examiner"?

Ah, better days

Wasn't it the Irish Examiner for a while? Until they figured out there was an inadequate distribution to justify calling themselves a national newspaper.

UCD to UCDD. :rolleyes: :mad: 1854 Catholic University
1908 University College Dublin
1997 University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin
2005 UCD Dublin
That's the complete transformation, and as UCD celebrated the 150 in 2004,
I feel entitled to start there!

Jerry The Saint

13/04/2006, 4:51 PM

changed to Snickers which confusingly is also a brand of industrial clothing.

It's like the Jif thing though - confusing to who:confused:

Not going anywhere for a while - grab some industrial workwear to satisfy your hunger! :)

Snickers do sell an energy bar called Marathon though, so there's still some merit to the old names. Likewise Choco Krispies didn't last long before the natural order was restored.

pete

13/04/2006, 5:52 PM

Wasn't it the Irish Examiner for a while? Until they figured out there was an inadequate distribution to justify calling themselves a national newspaper.

It IS called the Irish Examiner. :rolleyes:

I don't know why they changed name from De paper though... :(

hamish

25/04/2006, 11:16 PM

Spotted this in the "Said and Done" footie page in Sunday's Observer - reminds me of my footie days, dealing with PR companies.

The Franchise
Why the repeated references by Man. United executives to United as 'the franchise' in the past month? "Football club", say the designers of United's new logo, is a "redundant" term:"The old logo was dated. Our comprehensive visual audit (??????) highlighted one key change - to remove the words 'football club'. We felt these to be redundant. The result is a far simpler, more intense brand statement........"

BTW I'm not taking a cheap shot at Man. Utd. fans or the club - I'm sure the same bullsh!t is announced by sponsors of clubs in many sports.

But, as a footie fan, when I read stuff like that, a little part of me dies.
In addition, I had to type all that cr@p out as it wasn't online.

What the fcuk's a "comprehensive visual audit" when it's at home?? I have a sense of what it means but like much PR-speak, it's mutton dressed as lamb.

Lionel Ritchie

26/04/2006, 4:10 PM

And what was wrong with "The Examiner", not to mention "The Cork Examiner"?

Ah, better days

One of my strongest childhood memories is being sent to the shops by my grandfather to get him a Cork Examiner.

I'd say I was about 6 and I truthfully hadn't a clue what i was being sent to the shop for and would never have guessed it was a newspaper in a million years. It was quite an adventure -wondering what i might be picking up -some sort of magnifying mystical orb perhaps....:cool:

the 12 th man

27/04/2006, 9:40 AM

One of my strongest childhood memories is being sent to the shops by my grandfather to get him a Cork Examiner.

I'd say I was about 6 and I truthfully hadn't a clue what i was being sent to the shop for and would never have guessed it was a newspaper in a million years. It was quite an adventure -wondering what i might be picking up -some sort of magnifying mystical orb perhaps....:cool:

:D :D ..

CollegeTillIDie

30/04/2006, 4:30 PM

As regards Man United being called the Franchise... this is what happens when you sell your PLC to bloody Americans :D

hamish

30/04/2006, 4:41 PM

As regards Man United being called the Franchise... this is what happens when you sell your PLC to bloody Americans :D

LOL - but it was the wording of it that caught my attention - total PR-speak - sounds like something New Labour might say.

Paddyfield

01/05/2006, 12:36 PM

Home Farm to Home Farm Everton to Home Farm to Home Farm Dublin County Council (or something similar) to Dublin City to ....

CollegeTillIDie

01/05/2006, 9:06 PM

It was Home Farm Fingal not Dublin County Council, get your facts straight man ! :D

gustavo

01/05/2006, 10:21 PM

phootball.com as stated above. It was in black and white in those days too to save on printing costs. :D
This is what it looked like:)
http://web.archive.org/web/20010608032149/http://phootball.com/

Metrostars

02/05/2006, 7:31 PM

Some Football club changes:

Galway Rovers--> Galway United
New York/New Jersey Metrostars--> Metrostars--> Red Bull New York
San Jose Clash--> San Jose Earthquakes--> Houston 1836--> Houston Dynamo (The Houston club was called 1836 earlier this year, that was the date the city was first founded. But it is also the date Houston gained independance from Mexico so it angered a lot of Houston-based Mexican fans. So they changed it again.)

nedder

05/05/2006, 12:45 PM

Gazza to G8 to Gazza

Pauro 76

05/05/2006, 1:17 PM

Over here the Mars bar is changing its name to 'Believe' in time for In-gur-land in the World Cup. :rolleyes:

Rory H

06/05/2006, 11:10 AM

Puff Daddy to P Diddy
P Diddy to Diddy

i do a very good drunken speach on how it is important to change sometimes....
thats my prime example...

dcfcsteve

07/05/2006, 2:31 PM

As regards Man United being called the Franchise... this is what happens when you sell your PLC to bloody Americans :D

The 'football club' element was removed form Man U's logo a few seasons ago. Nothing to do with the yanks - everything to do with trying to ensure their 'brand' wasn't just limited to football....

How long before Chelsea do likewise...?