There seems to be some confusion online about how to pronounce the name of that beloved fruity soft drink that’s particularly popular in the North of England – yep, the quaffable cult icon that is Vimto.
Find out how you SHOULD be pronouncing it here:
Invented in 1908 by John Noel Nichols, the drink is a deliciously unique blend of grapes, raspberries and blackcurrants, which are flavoured with herbs and spices.
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It's considered a bit of an essential in many households, with fans either drinking it as a cordial or as a warming hot drink. The options are endless, my friend!
We should probably also give an honourable shout out to the Cheeky Vimto, which doesn’t actually contain any of the stuff, but tastes JUST like it, thanks to a dangerously drinkable combination of WKD and ruby port. Very cheeky.
Whatever your experiences with the drink are, you’ve no doubt not paid much attention to how you pronounce its name – a topic that recently came up when Vimto announced it was changing its name to ‘Vimpto’, in line with how people tend to pronounce it.
An image of a giant billboard that went viral said: “Changing our name to Vimpto... seeing as you all pronounce it that way.”
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It created a huge debate online, as people started to delve inside their minds to figure out how they pronounced it. Vim-toe? Vimp-toe? Vimt-oh? Oh, Vimto.
Vimto later confirmed it wasn’t actually changing its name to Vimpto, joking that it was the last time bosses would ‘give the intern the social logins’.
But the clever marketing stunt still got tongues wagging, with one person tweeting: “Trying to remember who it was who mocked me for saying this, but I've always pronounced it Vimpto, well HERE'S SOME F**KING VINDICATION.”
Someone else hit back bluntly: “Wrong.”
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Over on the company’s official Facebook page, someone else said: “I’m glad you cleared this up, I was preparing to be upset. Team Vimto.”
Another added: “It was always Vimpto on my shopping list. I thought you were just righting a wrong!”
Even last year, TikToker Rebecca Reed asked others how they pronounced it, admitting: “All my life I’ve called it ‘VIMPTO’.”
In the caption, she added: “Anyone else or should I go hang my head in shame???? I posted this on my business page and I’m not alone! Lol.”
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Speaking about the campaign on LinkedIn, Claire Charlson, Operations Controller for Vimto Out of Home, said: “To ‘p’ or not to ‘p’... that is the question!
“I’ve had lots interaction with people over this! Excellent marketing by our team Vimto.
“It’s energising to hear how passionate people are about our brand! It’s also great to work for a business that creates a culture where humour and ‘doing you’ makes all the difference!”
Topics: Food And Drink, UK News
Jess Hardiman