So the props people of the future, when designing a period domestic drama set at the turn of the second and third millennia, will have to be on the alert. They will need to know precisely when Jif changed to Cif. It will be important to get the right bottle. Because the replacement of that one letter has enormous social and political implications.

How do you pronounce Cif, if you speak English? Is that like Kif, or like Sif? Neither sounds too convincing as a memorable product name. Presumably, then, it is meant to be a more Mediterranean pronunciation, something like Chif. Then again, the label says Cif Cream. If this really is a pan-European bit of branding, then how to explain the Cream bit? The potential for confusion would appear to be enormous. People might try to eat this stuff. It does look quite like a mayonnaise bottle.

But we know how that's sorted, because confectionery companies did it first. The Cif will remain constant across Europe, or possibly even the world, as an international brand. The one-word description below will vary according to the market. All the TV production designer needs to be aware of is that Jif was British, and Cif is European. That there was a time when Britain was a distinct market, requiring its own branding, but that by 2001, that had changed.

"Jif" meant "quickly", as in that rather 1950s expression "In a jiff", itself shortened from "jiffy". The name had a demotic meaning, however tenuous. Now, the name means nothing. But - assuming UK sales of the product remain steady - the acceptance of Cif tells you that we are ready for Europe. It's part of the same general trading shift which has Nissan buying components for its Sunderland-built cars in Euros, or all the privatised and diversifying utility companies giving themselves vague names associated with no particular nation state.

So: will Britain join the Euro? What a dumb question, and not one you should ask any politician. There are plenty of people who know, and a surprising number of them are in the business of designing labels that go on bottles. Unregarded, even scorned, they are the true prophets of our time.