My late cousin Hannah Campbell was the first accomplished writer in our extended family. In the 1960s, her articles appeared in a number of national publications, including Cosmopolitan for which she penned a monthly column titled “Why Did They Name it?” about the origins of famous brands and companies. Later, she compiled her research into a book by the same name and sent me a signed copy. I was fascinated by her stories, like the one about a young man who was working in a Virginia drug store when he fell in love with the daughter of the store owner. The young suitor was fired, traveled west, and invented an innovative soft drink which he named after the drug store owner — a medical doctor named Pepper.
Cousin Hannah sparked my interest in writing and advertising, both which would later serve me well when, in addition to producing TV shows, I also ran a small ad agency where I was occasionally called upon to create product names and slogans. Along the way, I learned a valuable lesson about branding from an unlikely source. In May 1977, Bert Lance, director of the OMB under President Jimmy Carter, told Nation’s Business magazine, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
Coincidentally, that same year, Nashville designer Bill Holley created a logo for a brand new restaurant chain that would serve good old country cookin’. The logo featured an illustration of an old man sitting in a wooden chair and leaning on a large barrel. The name adjacent to the logo was Cracker Barrel. It was a welcoming sign to hungry travelers for 56 years…until late last month when company CEO Julie Masino forgot to heed Bert Lance’s advice. She and her ad agency decided to go for a more modern image, and suddenly the old timer, his chair, and the barrel all disappeared. Needless to say, the Cracker Barrel universe was collectively pissed. Social media blew up, and company stock prices tumbled. Within days, Masino reversed course and restored the old logo.
Change for change’s sake is never a good idea, yet there always seems to be some corporate marketing executive who’s willing to fiddle with success in order to justify his salary and impress the boss. For example, Master Card removed its own name from its iconic orange and yellow intersecting circles. Petco removed the dog and cat from its logo. And Eskimo Pie changed its name to Edy’s Pie as if we’d all care that the frozen treat was created by Joseph Edy.
Remember “New Coke” from 1985? That disaster was the creation of a corporate executive who thought it would be a good idea to add more sugar to Coke’s formula in order to better compete with Pepsi. CEO Robert Goiuzeta told reporters at the time that it was “the surest move we ever made.” Loyal Coke drinkers disagreed. According to the History Channel, the company received 8,000 complaint calls per day, and shares of stock were headed in the wrong direction. Within months, New Coke was out and “Coca-Cola Classic” was born. The Coke fiasco should have served as a warning to all future beverage makers, but a few folks at Budweiser didn’t get the memo.
In 2023, Bud Light featured social media personality Dylan Mulvaney in a promotional video. The only problem was that Mulvaney is transgender. Millions of conservative Bud drinkers boycotted the parent company, stock prices fell by 26%, and Bud Light lost its top spot to Modelo after having been number one for 20 years. Alissa Heinerscheid, who had been VP of marketing for less than a year, was responsible for changing Bud Light’s gender, saying she was only trying to make the drink “more inclusive.” Not surprisingly, Heinerscheid was fired.
Of course, inclusivity can be a good thing if a name or logo has become offensive to consumers. Uncle Ben’s rice, Aunt Jemima Pancake mix, and the Washington Redskins all come to mind. But it makes no business sense to trash a name or image just for the sake of creativity. If my cousin Hannah were alive today, she would probably be writing a sequel to “Why Did They Name It?” and title it, “Why Did They Change It?” or,” WTF is Wrong with Cracker Barrel?”
Botched Branding
My late cousin Hannah Campbell was the first accomplished writer in our extended family. In the 1960s, her articles appeared in a number of national publications, including Cosmopolitan for which she penned a monthly column titled “Why Did They Name it?” about the origins of famous brands and companies. Later, she compiled her research into a book by the same name and sent me a signed copy. I was fascinated by her stories, like the one about a young man who was working in a Virginia drug store when he fell in love with the daughter of the store owner. The young suitor was fired, traveled west, and invented an innovative soft drink which he named after the drug store owner — a medical doctor named Pepper.
Cousin Hannah sparked my interest in writing and advertising, both which would later serve me well when, in addition to producing TV shows, I also ran a small ad agency where I was occasionally called upon to create product names and slogans. Along the way, I learned a valuable lesson about branding from an unlikely source. In May 1977, Bert Lance, director of the OMB under President Jimmy Carter, told Nation’s Business magazine, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
Coincidentally, that same year, Nashville designer Bill Holley created a logo for a brand new restaurant chain that would serve good old country cookin’. The logo featured an illustration of an old man sitting in a wooden chair and leaning on a large barrel. The name adjacent to the logo was Cracker Barrel. It was a welcoming sign to hungry travelers for 56 years…until late last month when company CEO Julie Masino forgot to heed Bert Lance’s advice. She and her ad agency decided to go for a more modern image, and suddenly the old timer, his chair, and the barrel all disappeared. Needless to say, the Cracker Barrel universe was collectively pissed. Social media blew up, and company stock prices tumbled. Within days, Masino reversed course and restored the old logo.
Change for change’s sake is never a good idea, yet there always seems to be some corporate marketing executive who’s willing to fiddle with success in order to justify his salary and impress the boss. For example, Master Card removed its own name from its iconic orange and yellow intersecting circles. Petco removed the dog and cat from its logo. And Eskimo Pie changed its name to Edy’s Pie as if we’d all care that the frozen treat was created by Joseph Edy.
Remember “New Coke” from 1985? That disaster was the creation of a corporate executive who thought it would be a good idea to add more sugar to Coke’s formula in order to better compete with Pepsi. CEO Robert Goiuzeta told reporters at the time that it was “the surest move we ever made.” Loyal Coke drinkers disagreed. According to the History Channel, the company received 8,000 complaint calls per day, and shares of stock were headed in the wrong direction. Within months, New Coke was out and “Coca-Cola Classic” was born. The Coke fiasco should have served as a warning to all future beverage makers, but a few folks at Budweiser didn’t get the memo.
In 2023, Bud Light featured social media personality Dylan Mulvaney in a promotional video. The only problem was that Mulvaney is transgender. Millions of conservative Bud drinkers boycotted the parent company, stock prices fell by 26%, and Bud Light lost its top spot to Modelo after having been number one for 20 years. Alissa Heinerscheid, who had been VP of marketing for less than a year, was responsible for changing Bud Light’s gender, saying she was only trying to make the drink “more inclusive.” Not surprisingly, Heinerscheid was fired.
Of course, inclusivity can be a good thing if a name or logo has become offensive to consumers. Uncle Ben’s rice, Aunt Jemima Pancake mix, and the Washington Redskins all come to mind. But it makes no business sense to trash a name or image just for the sake of creativity. If my cousin Hannah were alive today, she would probably be writing a sequel to “Why Did They Name It?” and title it, “Why Did They Change It?” or,” WTF is Wrong with Cracker Barrel?”