Brands That Change On The Map 🧐

Burger King, Budweiser, Hellmann’s Mayo (🧐Map Facts Series)

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Brands That Change on The Map:

Burger King, Budweiser, Hellmann’s Mayo

It’s not just countries that fight over borders, sometimes its not even places. Our world is so globally interconnected that plenty of other things - like companies - fight over borders too. It’s why Australians eat Hungry Jacks instead of Burger King and Germans and Italians can’t drink Budweiser.

Lots of brands have different names in different places so that the name makes sense in the local language, but sometimes national borders define what you have to call certain things.

When Burger King expanded into Australia in the 1970s, there was already a trademarked restaurant with that name and Australian rules wouldn’t allow them to use the same name. So they picked a new one - Hungry Jack’s. Funny part is that in the 90s, the name became available again - and for a little bit there were both Hungry Jacks and Burger Kings there - but Hungry Jacks was already a big brand so they eventually ditched the name Burger King in Australia for good. (cite lengthy legal battle).

Budweiser in German literally means someone from Budwies, which is an actual place in the Czech Republic. There was, and is, a brewery there, that makes popular beer called, obviously, Budwieser Budvar. The beer was popular enough that Adolphus Busch tried to replicate it when he moved from Germany to St Louis in the 1850s. Ironically, the original Czech Budweiser was already being sold in the US before the American Budweiser was first made. Ever since, there has been more than a century of legal battles between the two brands. As of now, American Budweiser isn’t Budweiser in most Europe – it’s just Bud. And you can get the original Budwieser in the US… Its called Czechvar.

There’s not just international differences either. If you’ve spent time on both coasts of the US, you might know that Hellman’s mayo is only available east of the Rockies. To the west, It’s called Best Foods Mayo. Yes, they are the same thing. Turn the label around.

Hellman’s Mayo (follow-up vid):

If you’ve spent time on both coasts of the US, you might know that Hellman’s mayo is only available east of the Rockies. To the west, It’s called Best Foods Mayo. They are the same. If you turn the label around it even says so. The story’s not quite as interesting as other brand map conflicts, but essentially Hellman’s Mayo started in New York while Best Foods Mayo was made by a different company in San Francisco. Both mayos became a hit on their respective coasts in the 1920s. By 1927, Best Foods bought Hellman’s and the brands have been in the same family ever since. The ingredients are identical but there’s rumors that the recipes are still slightly different. Tastes like like mayo to me.

Yes, there’s other examples of US brands called something different based on the map…

Dreyer’s ice cream also uses the rocky mountains as a dividing line. It’s called Edy’s to the East. Officially Dreyer’s says its to honor both of their founders, but I heard it’s also so it doesn’t get confused with Breyer’s Ice Cream which was popular on the east coast before they got there.

Arnold and Orowheat and Brownberry bread is all the same too.

So is Water Maid and River Rice.

(originally two brands, now owned by same company, distributed in diff areas)