In Pics | 10 famous products that rebranded themselves

Renaming a company amid a crisis or a business expansion is a popular corporate strategy. According to experts, rebranding is often used to update a company’s name to reflect cultural changes in consumer behaviour or values. Brands also rename themselves after mergers or acquisitions, to signal a new direction, or to distance themselves from negative publicity. Here we take a look at the 10 famous brands that changed their names. 

Social media giant Facebook changed its name to Meta on October 29, 2021. The new name appears with a new logo, a blue M that looks like an infinity (∞) symbol replacing the iconic thumbs-up icon. Credit: Reuters Photo

In 1996, Larry Page and Sergey Brin called their initial search engine 'BackRub'. In September 1997, the tech giant shed this odd name and renamed it Google. Credit: Reuters Photo

Not many know that popular image-sharing app Instagram was earlier called 'Burbn' and was a failed entity. However, founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger fixed few things along with the brand name, making it one of the most popular social media management platforms. Credit: AFP Photo

Twitter was earlier called 'Odeo' and was a podcast platform. After witnessing Apple iTunes' hold over the podcast industry, the founders decided to change it into a 'tweet' platform and named it Twitter. Credit: AFP Photo

One of the leading digital payment services, Paypal was earlier called 'Confinity'. After its successful merger with Elon Musk’s venture X.com, it was renamed Paypal, and the rest is history. Credit: Paypal

Online grocery delivery company Grofers changed its name to name to Blinkit amid rising competition in the fast commerce division. Credit: Blinkit

A food delivery app, Foodiebay was launched in 2010. Two years later, it was renamed ‘Zomato’ and it is now the top runner among the food tech unicorns. Credit: Reuters Photo

Coffee company Dunkin' Donuts aimed to breathe fresh life into the brand in 2019 and decided to drop the word “Donuts” from its name. Customers would still recognize its colours and font, but the company wanted to nod to the chain’s beverage sales, which accounted for more than half of its business. Credit: Dunkin'

The pancake-mix and syrup line formerly known as Aunt Jemima, which had long faced criticism that its name and likeness were rooted in racist imagery, replaced its 131-year-old name with Pearl Milling Company. The name comes from the company in St. Joseph, Missouri, that pioneered the pancake mix. Credit: Twitter/@michele_norris