Kevin Harrington

Bad Product Names

Johnston's Fluid Beef

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Kevin Harrington

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Product names get changed and sometimes I wonder why and what the benefits were. But, in some cases, it makes a lot of sense. Look at these corkers:

  • Bovril was originally called ‘Johnston’s Fluid Beef‘.
  • Hovis was originally called ‘Smith’s Patent Germ Bread‘.
  • 7-Up was originally called ‘Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda‘.
  • The Bank of America was originally called the Bank of Italy.

I’m not sure the Bank of Italy is in quite the same league as the first three.

These examples are all from 1,227 QI Facts to Blow Your Socks Off.

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Kevin Harrington
I’m a UK-based B2B marketing consultant, specialising in strategic advice for SME business owners. I bring extensive hands-on expertise to every client engagement. Senior leadership roles across technology, media, payments, and publishing have shaped my practical approach. Highlights include serving as Chief Marketing Officer at The Panoply plc (now TPXimpact), Chief Commercial Officer at Tungsten Network, and Global Marketing Director at BBC Worldwide. Over the years, I’ve guided numerous SMEs through transformation and value creation. Helping businesses evolve and thrive is a genuine passion. Practical marketing insights and succession planning strategies are at the heart of what I do, as I believe growing a business’s asset value should be a rewarding and positive journey for every entrepreneur.
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