And so, in the words of Queen, another one bites the dust.
Anyone who remembers the seventies will have fond memories of the iconic drink Lilt and its catchy adverts which brought a ray of sunshine into British homes.
Who couldn’t fail to yearn for the Caribbean as the reggae vibe of the steel band struck up to the soundtrack of the coolest advert on TV, portraying the Lilt man delivering cans of the Totally Tropical Taste to sundrenched beaches.
However time and tropical tides wait for no man and after 48 years the name is to be scrapped and the sparkling soft drink previously known as Lilt will in future be rebranded by Coca-Cola as the pineapple and grapefruit flavour within its Fanta range.
Lilt isn’t the first famous name to undergo a marketing rebrand, with some more successful than others.
In 1930 Mars launched its latest chocolate bar and named it Snickers after one of the company owner’s favourite horses. But in the UK the bar was known as Marathon – marketing folk feeling the long lasting connotation fitted well with the chewy, chocolate, peanut, caramel and nougat combination.
Marathon had a good run, lasting until 1990 when the Snickers name was adopted worldwide – allowing the company to focus on a single brand when launching new products such as ice cream and mini bars.
And who could forget Opal Fruits? Chewy streets beloved of long journeys and “made to make your mouth water”. In 1960 Wrigley launched a competition to name the new tube of lemon, lime, strawberry and orange sweets with Opal Fruits securing the £5 first prize.
When the sweets were launched in the US seven years later the company wanted to capture the mood of the time and combine the refreshing flavour of the sweets with the ongoing space race and so they were named Starburst. Twenty years later that name replaced Opal Fruits worldwide, the bonus being the addition of a blackcurrant flavour.
Not all name changes go well.
In 1998 the popular breakfast cereal known in the UK as Coco Pops was renamed by Kellogg’s as Choco Krispies. Sales nosedived and one year on Coco Pops were back on the shelves after a poll of one million consumers found 92% were in favour of the old name.
At SK Foods we produce a wide range of delicious food inspired from classic cuisine around the world. The names may change from store to store but the totally delicious taste remains constant.
About Oliver Parkinson
Sous Chef of SK Foods.
Your food. Our Passion.
