Woolies vs. Frankie's... do they really look so much alike?

I thought I would jump onto this bandwagon right about now, given the amount of attention that the subject is getting.
Hey, it will do my visitor stats good at the very least :)

What I will not do, is go into the finer details of who copied what, and how they may or may not have done the same thing in the past.
In any case, this whole subject has been totally hashed to death in the short time since it all took to the social network airwaves.
Maybe Woolies are the "big bad corporate", and maybe Frankie's are the "little guy", but it is still quite interesting to see just how the general public have responded to it all, especially since Woolworths is such a well-known, well-loved, high quality brand in South Africa.

In addition, I have to wonder how much free airtime and marketing the Frankie's brand has received, as a result of this little ruckus...?

Back to my original question... which has to do with the similarities between the 2 products.
Firstly, here they are - the 2 contenders in question - click to enlarge, and take a close look at both product ranges:

I am no designer, but in the words of several posts I have read online from other graphically-gifted humans, the 2 designs are in fact totally dissimilar.

Sure, the wording may be similar in places (e.g. "fiery"), but to my ordinary eye, these 2 products look entirely different.

I would certainly not be "duped" into thinking that the Woolworths product is in fact the Frankie's product...

Ever noticed how similarly shaped some beer bottles are? Even the caps on top are the same!!

What about soft drinks? Them too? No way - could they be copying each other???

Of course not for flip sakes - it's how they all look dammit.

The only similar things in the picture above are the clear Cream Soda bottles (oops... might get in trouble for saying "Cream Soda"... twice :), and the word "fiery"... oh and the fact that all the bottles contain a carbonated beverage.

It's business. Get over it people.

Or if you really can't, then just stop shopping at Woolies.

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Look what I found in Duty Free at OR Tambo...

One of the coolest recollections that I have of my childhood, is this:

If you are part of my generation, then you probably know what I mean.

This was the original "chocolate-egg-containing-a-toy" - the forerunner and inspiration for all of the copycat chocolate eggs that you can pick up at Woolies today.

Aside from the ultra cool toys that were packed inside, the chocolate itself was incredible - after all it is made by the Ferrero company - makers of the legendary Ferrero Rocher.

In recent years however, it became increasingly difficult to find the Kinder Surprise in any South African shops.

It was gradually replaced by a product called Kinder Joy - something which is now available at any major retailer.

Behold:

Kinder Joy, great as it is, is not quite the same thing. 

While the shape is the same, and the toys inside are still pretty cool, it somehow just misses the mark for me.

Imagine my surprise then, when on a recent visit to Duty Free at OR Tambo International Airport, I spotted the original Kinder Surprise in all its glory!

Not quite believing my eyes, I purchased a pack of 3 (for R45... ouch!).

Turns out the ouch was worthwhile - the chocolate is still superb and the toys are still super cool :)

When I asked the lady behind the counter why we cannot find these in local shops, yet we can get them in Duty Free, she just shrugged and smiled suspiciously...

Hmmm... I might just decide to find out more... watch this space :)

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