oil of olay

[rugeleyboy]

why was the name changed from ulay?

[tonymclark]

I'm not sure, but it is often for international sales.

Remember that Marathon bar was changed to Snickers, and Jif to Cif.

It's not that the product is exported from this country, but for foreigners visitors I think.

It also means that the same ads can be shown around the world, without having to re-shoot the entire commercial.

[kempie]

From this webpage...

What eventually became "Oil of Olay" was developed during World War II by a South African chemist named Graham Gordon Wulff to help military burn victims heal by preventing their skin from becoming dehydrated. At the end of the war it occurred to Wulff that the burn treatment he had invented might make a dandy beauty cream in the civilian market. He teamed up with a partner named Shaun Adams Lowe, and together they set out to market Wulff's cream.

First, of course, they needed a name, and after some thought came up with "Oil of Ulay." As more and more people bought it and asked what "Ulay" was, Wulff and Lowe realized that the mystery of their product's name was one of its strongest selling points, and "the mysterious beauty fluid" shtick was born.

As "Oil of Ulay" sales caught on and the product was exported to Europe and the U.S., a curious adjustment of its name took place. In England it was still called "Oil of Ulay," but in most of Europe it was sold under the name "Oil of Olaz." Only in America was it called "Oil of Olay." It wasn't until 2000 that the current Ulay/Olay/Olaz owners Procter & Gamble decided to simplify life by changing it to "Olay" worldwide. Today Olay (they dropped the "Oil of" a few years ago) produces a wide range of beauty products.

As an addendum, the products are still marketed in some European countries, such as Germany, under the brand "Olaz".

http://www.olaz.de/