Philips Marathon was the name used for the longest-lasting or ‘‘best’’ lightbulbs (guaranteed for five to seven years), Philips Halogena was the name used for the second-longest-lasting or ‘‘better’’ line of lightbulbs (guaranteed for two years), and Philips DuraMax was used for the entry-level or ‘‘good’’ line of lightbulbs (guaranteed for one year). Marathon and Halogena became available in 2000, and DuraMax was added two years later.
The name Halogena was given to the U.S. operation by Philips’s European-operation, as this name had been previously used in Europe. Marathon and DuraMax were developed in creative sessions involving Philips management and Philips’s advertising and public relations agencies. A series of names were tested among consumers, and those two names were picked as suggesting reliability and long life.