Cultural Geography Global Marketing of Products

Except as noted, all photos by Dale Lightfoot Dale Lightfoot's Cultural Landscapes From Around The World Oklahoma State University Geography Department

Commercial Globalization
A ubiquitous element of popular culture is the global soft drink and fast food industries. Originating in North America, these popular products are now a part of daily life for billions of people throughout the world. See if you can recognize these popular icons and logos. Today, you will also see the logos of Sony, Toyota, Honda, etc. around the world.

South Korea

South Korea (reverse side)

Egypt

Mexico

Mexico (reverse side)

Guatemala

U.S.A.
The World of Coca-Cola Museum in Atlanta, Georgia. This city is the international headquarters of Coca-Cola.
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Guatemala
Don't drink water, drink Coca-Cola...a sensation without equal; Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala.

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Israel

Hebrew Coca-Cola, Eilat, Israel.

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El Salvador
Coca-Cola is it! in Santa Ana, El Salvador

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Peru

Coca-Cola more and more, east of Lima, Peru

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Macao (China)

Coca-Cola in the former Portuguese colony of Macao (southeast coast of China).

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France
"Buvez CocaCola," Toulouse, France.

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Portugal

Coca-Cola-clad city trolley, Lisbon, Portugal.

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Morocco

Delivery vehicle with a familiar advertisement, Fez, Morocco.

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 Cola-Cola in Tblisi, Georgia. Note the unique Georgian script for a language unrelated to any other language family in the world.

Georgia (former USSR)

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 Its "Always CocaCola" (on the back of a small vehicle) near the Reichstag Building in Berlin, Germany.

Germany

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Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands

Big Coca-Cola bottle, Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands.

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Armenia
Coca-Cola poster in Armenia (photo by Shannon O' Lear).

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Nepal

Coca-Cola in Kathmandu, Nepal.

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Nepal

Buddhist motifs and Coca-Cola, Swayambunath Temple, Nepal.

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Russia

"neNTe ColaCola", in Moscow, Russia.

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Jordan
Coke and Pepsi face off by the giant Bedouin coffee pot -traditional symbol of Arab hospitality (Amman, Jordan).

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Thailand

Coke and Pepsi compete for market share in Bangkok, Thailand.

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Morocco

Global cola wars, Rabat, Morocco.

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China
The logo is familiar, even if the script is not; Pepsi advertisement in Guangzhou, China.

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Morocco

Pepsi truck, Tangier, Morocco.

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Algeria

Pepsi cola, Constantine, Algeria.

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India
Pepsi and Mountain Dew in the holy city of Varanasi, India.

Note on Cultural Globalization: Today, jeans are worn all over the world.

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Russia
Mountain Dew -- not commonly seen outside the USA -in Moscow.

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Portugal

7-UP in the Algarve region of southern Portugal.

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Iraq

Pepsi, 7Up and Orange Crush on a wall in Baghdad, Iraq.

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Syria

Orange crush, Aleppo, Syria. Syria remains one of the few countries in the world in which neither Coca-Cola nor Pepsi are sold (though they do have Crush, RC, and generic colas).

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Nepal

Fanta in Kathmandu, Nepal.

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Turkey

Royal Crown Cola, Gaziantep, Turkey.

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Panama

A rare Dr. Pepper sign on a bus stop south of Colon, Panama. Dr. Pepper, for many years a regional brand common only to its place of origin (Waco, TX and surrounding areas of Texas and Oklahoma) became a national brand in the US, before going international with Cadbury-Schwepps in England. It is still rare outside of North America and Western Europe.

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Peru

"Inca Cola...the national flavor," near Huancayo, Peru. This is clearly a local product, named after the dominant indigenous group of this Andes Mountain region; though, oddly enough, it is not a cola but more like a creme soda.
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Hong Kong (China)

"McDonald's...around the world and around the corner." It certainly is both! (Hong Kong)
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Germany

"...mmmhhhh McDonald's" (Germany)

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Spain
McDonald's in Madrid, Spain; where else can you get a McChico?

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Russia

Golden arches in central Moscow, Russia.

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Azerbaijan

A new McDonald's in the rapidly developing city of Baku, Azerbaijan.

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Georgia
"McDonald's" in Georgian script, Tblisi, Georgia.

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Canada
McDonald's in St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada (note the red maple leaf--a Canadian icon--added to the company logo).

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Costa Rica
A giant Ronald McDonald in San Jose, Costa Rica.

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Greece

It may be Greek to you, but it's still McDonald's (Athens, Greece).

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Cyprus

McDonald's is "Island-wide" in Cyprus.

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Israel

McDonald's in a shopping mall in Eilat, Israel.

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Belfast, Northern Ireland.

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Jordan
The golden arches (with BK and KFC) in Amman, Jordan.

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Cyprus
You can get a "Greek Mac" gyro sandwichstyle, in Cyprus.

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India
McDonald's in India offers a McCurry Pan, along with other offerings for the local palate, including the Chicken Maharaja and other nonbeef burger items (Delhi).

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Qatar
You can get McArabia meal "dressed in Arabic flatbread" in Doha, Qatar.

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Canada
...Only in lobster country! (Nova Scotia, Canada).

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Mississippi
The Elvis McDonald's in Tupelo, Mississippi (birthplace of Elvis Presley).

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Oklahoma

The "world's largest" McDonald's (is it still true?) spans a four-lane divided highway (Interstate 44) near Vinita, Oklahoma.
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Syria
The "Mid-Mac" in Aleppo, Syria has borrowed the popular golden arches icon to attract business.

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Mexico
The "McTaco" in Ensenada, Mexico is capitalizing on the success of the McDonald's golden arches symbol.

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Algeria
It's the McDonald's Cafeteria Pizzeria! And not even a real McDonald's at all, though they also offer hamburgers to better blend in with the expected cuisine (Algeria).

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Algeria

Another McDonald's knock-off: golden arches at the "Big Mac" hamburger restaurant (Algeria).
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Jordan

Burger King in Amman, Jordan.

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South Korea
Wendy's Hamburgers, Seoul, South Korea.

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Israel
Subway sandwich shop, Jerusalem.

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South Korea

A plastic Colonel Sanders waits to greet visitors to the Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) in Seoul, South Korea.

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The Netherlands
KFC chicken is "Smikkelsmullend Lekker" in The Netherlands (Amsterdam).

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Egypt
Colonel Sanders at the pyramids of Giza (Egypt).

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Canada
Poulet frit a la Kentucky, Lauzon, Quebec.

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Yemen

The "KENTKI" fried chicken place in Sana'a, Yemen. This used to be a true Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) restaurant prior to a 1990 civil war in Yemen. The KFC pulled down Col. Sanders after changing owners but was already, by then, known to locals as the Kentucky. Thus, the (poorly transliterated) name stuck.

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Jordan
Pizza Hut, Aqaba, Jordan.

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Spain

Pizza Hut and delivery scooters, Sevilla, Spain. The small motorscooters make very practical delivery vehicles for navigating the narrow streets and alleys of the old city.

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Israel
Pizza Hut (in Hebrew), Tel Aviv, Israel.

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Egypt
Pizza Hut (in Arabic), Cairo, Egypt.

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Switzerland

Pizza Hut in Bern Switzerland.

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United Kingdom
Pizza Hut in York, England.

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Syria

Generic "Pizza House" designed to look like a Pizza Hut, Aleppo, Syria.
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 "7 Eleven...your neighbourhood store." Perhaps it looks like your neighborhood store, but unless you live in Kowloon, Hong Kong this one is not in your neighborhood.

Hong Kong (China)

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United Arab Emirates

7-Eleven in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

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China
The "7 Seventy One"; another knock-off of a popular franchise logo (Macao, China).
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China
Hard Rock Cafe, Yangshuo, China. This small eatery is not associated with the popular cafe chain, but the logo, recognizable around the world, has been "borrowed" by a local entrepreneur in order to attract tourist business.

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