Here are just a few examples from Europe:
- Milka | Mondelez
- Toblerone | Mondelez
- Philadelphia | Mondelez
- LU cookies | Mondelez
- Pampers | Procter & Gamble
- Ariel, Tide | Procter & Gamble
- Oral-B | Procter & Gamble
- Gillette | Procter & Gamble
- Head & Shoulders | Procter & Gamble
- Colgate| Colgate‑Palmolive Company
- Lay’s | PepsiCo
I’m not sure I understand how other countries formerly thinking the US is “cool” has anything to do with Philadelphia being recognized as an American name or not.
Cool things sell well. That’s why there are many brands in Europe that sound American but aren’t actually American. Philadelphia, a brand that has been around in Europe for a long time, could just as easily be from a European manufacturer, but that’s not the case.
Another example: In Germany, there are countless pizza delivery services called New York Pizza or something similar. These are, of course, small local companies from Germany that have simply named themselves that way.
Due to the long, close relationship between Europe and the US, this has developed to such an extent that it is now almost impossible to tell from the brand name whether a company is European or not. Now, for obvious reasons, it is unfortunately necessary to boycott US products - which is easier said than done, because US companies own numerous former EU brands that sound European and, on the other hand, many EU companies have given their products American-sounding names.
I’ll admit I also had to do a double take at the thought someone would think Philadelphia wasn’t American, but you’re right in that a lot of products borrow foreign-sounding names because they sound trendy. Something that you are always exposed to can be easy to overlook where it actually comes from. No one should hold that against you.
Not to mention the number of companies that used to be headquartered in one country but moved or were bought out by a foreign one. 7-11 comes to mind as an iconically American convenience store, and they were American, but are now based in Japan and have a much stronger association as a Japanese brand.