Global branding is way forward

I read with interest the letter from Martin Cartwright (MW December 14) regarding Jif changing its name to Cif. But I thought the degree of naivety that his argument was based upon was stunning.

First, Unilever’s decision to change the name of Jif was not “demonstrably daft”, but a sensible decision taking into account the long-term global development of the brand. Unilever’s decision reflects current trends to globally market brands and homogenise brand names across all markets. The long-term benefits of having one brand name globally outweighs the now outdated idea of having different names in different markets. Consumers are very cosmopolitan and demanding of their brands and are reassured by consistency in branding and, especially, naming.

Unilever is managing its portfolio in a professional and strategic manner. The investment to communicate the change is well deserved. Yes, consumers will notice the name change but, as long as the product and the consumer’s experience is the same, they will continue to buy it.

Perhaps Mr Cartwright would prefer to have a dirty household than buy this daft name!

Paul Norman

International marketing director

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