Meat+Poultry - October 2018 - 8

C O M M E N TA R Y

What's in a name change
Did you know Google, the world's
most-recognized search engine was
founded under the name "BackRub" in
1996 and was, mercifully changed two
years later? Company names and logos
flip and flop more than you might think,
and for a wide variety of reasons.
This past month, an iconic food
business, Dunkin' Donuts, announced
plans to shorten its name to reflect the
evolution of the company's current
and future offerings. By dropping
the "Donuts" part of the name and
removing the donut in its logo, the
company claims it's opting for a more
modern, simpler and shorter moniker.
Tony Weisman, chief marketing officer
of Dunkin' U.S. said the company's pink
and orange colors, which date back to
1973 will not change and neither will
the company's emphasis on offering
customers the donuts and coffee that
have helped make it famous. "We're
all about serving great coffee fast,"
Weisman said. "But we're also about
donuts and baked goods and breakfast
sandwiches."
Later, the same week, Weight
Watchers, a diverse franchise that
includes a line of branded food
products, announced it had changed its
name to: WW. The "reimagined" name
was launched to reflect the franchise's

emphasis on overall wellness, not
just weight loss. According to the
company's website, "We will always
be the global leader in weight loss,
but now WW (under the banner of
"Wellness that Works") welcomes
anyone who wants to build healthy
habits - whether that means eating
better, moving more, developing a
positive mindset, focusing on weight...
or all of the above."
In an era when branding, logos
and corporate identity play such a
prominent role in many consumers'
buying decisions and loyalty, it's
sometimes a bold step for iconic
brands and companies to tinker with
their image by tweaking their name,
but other times it's more of a playful
publicity stunt.
Do you remember when Kentucky
Fried Chicken made the bold step in
1991 to change its name to KFC after 39
successful years? Perhaps the switch
was to play down the not-so-healthy
implications of using the word "fried"
in its name, but the company said at the
time, "We wanted to let our customers
know that we had more for them to
enjoy than just fried chicken, and many
were already calling us KFC, as it was
much easier to say."
On the other hand, this past June,
pancake-centric IHOP announced what
turned out to be a test drive of a new
name: IHOb, which was designed to
promote the company's commitment

to its steak burgers and prove that
it's not a one-dimensional, pancake
chain. "We knew we had a very tough
job to do to convince people that we
take our burgers as seriously as we
take our pancakes," said Stephanie
Peterson, IHOP's executive director
of communications. Alas, less than a
month later, the company scurried back
to its roots and made another U-turn
with a Tweet announcing a switchback
and referencing the company's original
name: "That's right, IHOP! We'd never
turn our back on pancakes (except for
that time we faked it to promote our
new burgers)."
Other food company name
changes have been more subdued on
the surface but were perhaps more
significant from the perspective
of the company and its investors.
ConAgra Foods' 2016 transformation
to Conagra Brands, was merely a
tweak in the eyes of most observers.
However, the company claimed the
change signified "a sharpened focus
on consumer brands and enhancing
shareholder value."
Food companies considering a
name change run the risk of confusing
their customers in a market that is
bombarded with a dizzying amount
of branding and marketing messages.
Success stories are easy to find as
are some epic fails; just look it up on
BackRub...errr...Google.
J O E L C R E WS, E D I TO R | j c r e w s @ s o s l a n d .c o m

Food companies considering a name change run
the risk of confusing their customers in a market
that is bombarded with a dizzying amount of
branding and marketing messages.

8

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Meat+Poultry - October 2018

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