Image source: Mike Mozart via Flickr
Two large brands announced name changes last week. Weight Watchers is slimming its name down to WW. Dunkin’ Donuts will now be simply Dunkin’. “Donuts” is gone but the apostrophe stays. The companies changed names for similar reasons, but PR and marketing experts say the rebranding plans may fare very differently.
Dunkin’ wants to promote its other products and become less associated with unhealthy food. WW believes the name change will help promote its other health products and shed its image as strictly a dieting brand.
Image source: Real Plaza
As Vox pointed out, the name changes are part of an overall trend to vagueness in corporate names. By adopting intentionally ambiguous names, companies can better promote a range of products. Jo-Ann Fabrics became Joann. Starbucks removed the words “Starbucks Coffee” from its cups. And, Kentucky Fried Chicken became KFC.
Don’t Call it Dieting
To warm up for the rebranding, Weight Watchers has been using the WW logo in its mobile app and its WW Freestyle weight-loss program launched late last year. With the tagline “Wellness that Works,” it hopes take a larger bite out of the growing and lucrative healthcare market. Dieting, or at least the word dieting, has fallen out of fashion. Dieting sounds like a punishment. Fitness experts prefer descriptions like “self-care,” “body positivity” and “wellness.”
Corporate branding experts say they understand WW’s desire to keep pace with changing times but doubt that consumers will relish the new name. The name is difficult to pronounce. With twice as many syllables as Weight Watchers, it’s hardly a slimmer version. For some consumers, the new WW branding may even bring to mind the hot metal branding irons of a WW cattle ranch.
The name also bears remarkable similarity to existing well-known brands like World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Beth Egan, an advertising professor at Syracuse University, told The Washington Post.
Egan doubts if WW conducted in-depth research on consumer reactions. “I can’t imagine what they’re thinking,” she said.
What does WW Evoke?
The letters WW may bring to mind world wars, but doesn’t evoke anything related to wellness, says Allen Adamson, branding expert and co-founder of Metaforce. “Weight Watchers, with its name change and its change in strategy, is asking a lot from consumers,” Adamson writes in Forbes. “It is asking them to think about the brand in a completely new way and asking them to associate it with a name that doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue.”
Dunkin’ is in a much healthier branding position, Adamson says. The new name is intuitive and reflects what many consumers might already call the store. Consumers are already familiar with the shortened name. Dunkin’ Donuts used its slogan “America Runs on Dunkin’” for years.
Social Media Reactions
Critics commenting on Twitter called WW a thin cover over the brand’s dieting roots and called “wellness” an empty buzzword. Others expressed confusion after learning that WW doesn’t stand for either Weight Watchers or Wellness that Works.
At least Weight Watchers spokesperson and investor Oprah Winfrey approves of the name change. She posted a video on Instagram of herself enjoying breakfast “with the new WW.” The caption read: “Weight Watchers is evolving! #WW.”
Bottom Line: Two major brands, Dunkin’ Donuts and Weight Watchers, announced imminent plans to change their names as part of rebranding strategies. Despite similarities in the companies’ motivations and strategies, their announcements were received quite differently. Thumbs up for the slimmer Dunkin’; thumbs down for the emaciated WW. Sorry Oprah.
William J. Comcowich founded and served as CEO of CyberAlert LLC, the predecessor of Glean.info. He is currently serving as Interim CEO and member of the Board of Directors. Glean.info provides customized media monitoring, media measurement and analytics solutions across all types of traditional and social media.
