So Much for Having a Brand Name

business, fashion, humor, lessons learned, technology 1 Minute

Companies spend millions of dollars to develop their brand names so that they are easily recognized and well thought of (source – just guessing, off the top of my head).

But sometimes, a company may need to rebrand itself.to reflect a changing product mix.

Some examples include:

  • Dunkin’ Donuts changed its name to Dunkin’
  • Burlington Coat Factory changed its name to Burlington (coats are only 5% of its revenue)
  • Weight Watchers rebranded its stores and logo to WW
  • Christmas Tree Shops will be changing its name to CTS starting early next year
  • Google changed its name to Alphabet (WHY????), but at least it is better than its original name, BackRub
  • Apple Computer changed its name to Apple

And this week there was news of another store that may need to change its name.

Dollar Tree, a chain known for selling everything for $1, will be raising its prices to $1.25 or $1.50, as input costs rise due to supply-chain snarls and a tight labor market.

So what to do?

$1.25 Tree? Less than Two Dollar Tree? Close to a Dollar Tree?

Or perhaps they can keep the name the same; there is some precedent for doing so.

  • 7-11, originally named for its store hours, is now open 24 hours in many locations.
  • Radio Shack sells a lot more than radios these days (I have to admit I thought they were out of business, but apparently there are still close to 400 Radio Shack locations, but they operate independently from the original Radio Shack store)

So maybe Dollar Tree will keep its name.

But I wonder if there is someone who will sue them, claiming false advertising. If there is, I hope the judge rules against them and imposes a sentence of having to visit every Dollar Tree store in the country and spend at least $1 in each one.

Published by Jim Borden

A 60-something guy trying to figure out the world, and his place in it. Happily married for 40-plus years, three wonderful sons. Accounting teacher, fitness enthusiast, blogger, reader.

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64 thoughts on “So Much for Having a Brand Name”

  3. I have only one question—will you be rebranding Borden’s Blather anytime soon? Gabbing With Borden? Yakking Away With the Professor? Chewing the Fat With Jim?

    Liked by 4 people

  6. They used to have businesses called five-and-dime stores, but I guess inflation made them go out of vogue. Maybe a more enduring name would be cheap-and-crappy stores, reflecting the quality of their product, rather than the price.

    Liked by 3 people

  7. Up here in Canada all the Radio Shack stores became The Source several years ago. The cheapie stores have various names like Buck or Two and The Bargain Barn. A lot are of these are independent but people still refer to them as The Dollar Store. Kind of like the way people refer to tissues as Kleenex and photo copying as xeroxing.

    Liked by 1 person

  10. Google changed its name??? Have I been living under a rock?? This post reminds me of all the times I think about regular words and see no potential and then something (a band, group of ppl or brand product) uses that same ordinary word and it takes on new meaning and then I’m like, it could only have been that all along! Ok I don’t think I’m expressing myself properly here lol I’ll just throw out examples:

    KORN (remember the band???)
    Coldplay (what the heck does cold play mean?)

    Ok I thought I had more than this but this is telling lol

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I know exactly what you mean; there are lots and lots of examples that make you wonder how a name came about. Here’s web site that lists some odd band names: https://www.insure4music.co.uk/blog/2018/12/18/unusual-band-names/ (this might be worthy of a post! 🙂

      Google went through a restructuring a few years ago and renamed itself. Alphabet is the parent company, and Google is a subsidiary. I think the vast majority of people still call it Google…

      Liked by 3 people

  11. They’ve discussed the price changes before. Perhaps they’ve already changed names, since we used to have All-a-Dollar stores around us. Maybe Dollar Tree can mean any dollar denomination. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  12. They also need to consider how their name translates into a website address. Just ask Pen Island, whose site proudly proclaims ‘we specialise in wood’ 😉

    Liked by 1 person

  13. I feel like all the other stores with “dollar” in their name sell stuff for any amount they want. I’ve always respected the ‘everything is $1’ at Dollar Tree, But that world is done. Given the escalation in minimum wage, they need to sell at least 17 items an hour to even cover one employee’s wage expenses. It’s a new world. Prices are going up.

    Liked by 1 person

  14. The name Dollar Tree itself makes no guarantee that everything is for sale for one dollar. Just like Motel Six does not mean rooms are six bucks like they once were. What does Forever 21 guarantee?

    Liked by 1 person

    2. Great point about Motel 6! They didn’t change their name and I don’t think they lost any business by not changing. They are known by that name, and they will leave the light on for you. 🙂
      LOL at Forever 21.

      Liked by 1 person

  15. Crazy how names change. I can see the reasoning for some of them but ….
    Dunkin Donuts has been around for sooo long that I am sure people would pick up on the fact that they sell other things besides donuts now. I don’t think the change was necessary and I still say Dunkin Donuts. Yes, such a rebel. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  17. MacDonalds might rebrand to UnHappy Meals…maybe not but “isms” seem to be the in branding in my world of food and stuff…As the “ism” suggests, it is not a scientific subject but an ideology. Ideologies are ways of organizing large swaths of life and experience under a set of shared but unexamined assumptions…Thought I would toss my 3 penneth into the mix …

    Liked by 1 person

  19. BrandYour brand’s (business) name is often the first element of your brand that customers will encounter. It’s vital that the name is distinctive, authentic, memorable, and enduring, so it resonates with your target audience. It should stick in their minds

    Liked by 1 person

  20. There seem to be many ‘Dollar’ stores. I often wonder if they’re like fighting brothers or like close cousins. Dollar General is now at the top of my list. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

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