You can’t have a company or a brand without a strong name.
Names matter. They help to describe a brand and make them accessible to the public. So what happens when it comes time for a brand to ditch their old name for something new?
One brand that I subscribe to is Femfetti (formerly known as Tees and Tank You). When Femfetti was known as Tees and Tank You, they used to primarily sell witty and cute graphic t-shirts. However, when they expanded their market and started to sell a larger range of items (pants, home décor and accessories) they decided to change their brand name.
The rebrand to Femfetti was a success in my opinion. But why? Here are just a few reasons:
1. They expanded their market.
The name change broke Tees and Tank You out of their mold of only selling shirts and opened the door for their inventory expansion. Their old name defined their product, so exchanging it for a less restricting name was a strong move.
2. They explicitly informed their consumers.
Before the change occurred, posts and emails warned that a big change was coming for the brand. Then, on April 11, Tees and Tank You made its rebrand official with Instagram and email updates.
“We’re saying goodbye to TATY, but bigger things are on the way! Head over to our instagram to learn about our new brand @femfetti, new products and some major giveaways. We’re still focusing on hand drawn illustrations and lettering (with the same rad girl gang), but we’re expanding to home decor, outdoor products, drinkware + more. We decided to change our name to reflect our bright future + all the new things that are coming!”
By making customers completely aware of the rebranding process, it secured their current customer base for the future. I felt very aware of the change and even was inspired to visit their website in order to view the updates that they had made to it.
3. They justified their change.
By stating in their rebrand statement their exact reasoning, they avoided having the change be unnecessary.
One company that did NOT do this step effectively was Dunkin’ Donuts, which recently rebranded to just Dunkin’. Their justification of the rebrand? Consumers naturally abbreviate their name anyways.
“Dunkin’ Donuts has been on a first-name basis with its fans long before the introduction of its iconic tagline, “America Runs on Dunkin’,’’ with customers around the world naturally and affectionately referring to the brand as “Dunkin’.”
However, to many, their rebrand wasn’t driven enough by an actual need and just appeared pointless. Femfetti, by having clear reasoning, was able to avoid that backlash.
4. They stayed true to their brand mission.
Even though their name changed, Femfetti held true to three adjectives that clearly define their brand: fierce, fun and fearless. By maintaining their brand values despite the name change, the impact of the name change was positive and did not detract from their brand. Even their terminology was on brand. By referring to the change as a “glow up” and not simply a name change or rebrand, Femfetti took control of the changes that they were implementing.
So, next time you want to totally reinvent your brand, take a page from Femfetti’s book and have a complete glow up.