Jill Park: God bless America

Pepto Bismol, Reese’s Pieces, Panadol: these are all the stuff of legend to me, or at least of American TV. So, in a quest to broaden my packaging horizons, I took it upon myself to find each of these on a recent trip to New York.

First up, I tackled the chocolate counter – a running theme in my blogs. However, I soon discovered how easily a visiting Brit can be fooled. The Milky Way turned out to be a Mars bar in disguise, the Baby Ruth was a Lion bar by another name, while Junior Mints could almost have been After Eights with my eyes closed – not something I recommend when walking the streets of Manhattan, let me tell you.

After all that chocolate – and a hot dog and chilli cheese fries from the home of the world hot dog eating championship, Nathan’s – my mind turned to Pepto Bismol. Procter & Gamble’s over-the-counter upset-stomach relief is known for serial movie references and its neon pink colour, beautifully complemented by a bright yellow label. What can I say? If nothing else, it’s easy to find on the shelf.

Another interesting addition to the store shelves in the US is the recent inclusion of calories on the price tags. If you really want to know how many calories there are in a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, it’s 110, something my colleagues and I chose to ignore when we worked our way through the large bag that I brought back with me.

So what have I learnt about American packaging? One: bright colours are key, preferably ones that clash, if at all possible. Two: don’t be fooled by the name, especially when browsing the chocolate aisle. And three: throw your diet out the window – however hard you try, you won’t be able to ignore the calories.

What are your favourite examples of packaging from overseas? Log in below and let us know.

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