It is more that they may not know what Sprite is
(I may have missed something at the beginning of the discussion as for some reason, the page cuts off vertically right before the image.)
At least for the European part of the argument: it is not as dominated by Coke and Pepsi as is the US, and exclusivity contracts are not as widespread. When traveling, even locally, you wouldn't have a clue as to what brands an establishment stocked, or what a label stood for. So "lemonade" became the generic term when ordering to expect something lemon flavored to show up. The same goes for "orangeade" in French speaking parts.
Related: sometimes a major brand does not export all its labels. Growing up, only Schweppes tonic water was available, and it was the only such thing. So "Schweppes" and "tonic water" became synonymous. Much hilarity then ensues when traveling to the US for the first time...
At least for the European part of the argument: it is not as dominated by Coke and Pepsi as is the US, and exclusivity contracts are not as widespread. When traveling, even locally, you wouldn't have a clue as to what brands an establishment stocked, or what a label stood for. So "lemonade" became the generic term when ordering to expect something lemon flavored to show up. The same goes for "orangeade" in French speaking parts.
Related: sometimes a major brand does not export all its labels. Growing up, only Schweppes tonic water was available, and it was the only such thing. So "Schweppes" and "tonic water" became synonymous. Much hilarity then ensues when traveling to the US for the first time...
