The Weirdest Rebrandings Of All-Time
Reddit user PulakHasan asked: 'What's the Weirdest Rebranding of all time?'
Companies and products rebrand for a variety of reasons.
Sometimes they want to revitalize a dying brand.
Or stay fresh and modern.
Other times they're trying to put a negative public image in their rear view mirror.
And sometimes, someone somewhere in a company has low impulse control.
Anyway...
Reddit user PulakHasan asked:
"What's the Weirdest Rebranding of all time?"
Weight Watchers
"Weight Watchers abbreviated their name down to 'WW' and in doing so, increased the syllables needed to pronounce their new company name."
~ hambone10
"You burn more calories uttering the extra syllables."
~ jungl3j1m
waitr
"Waitr was an extremely successful delivery service here. They had full time employees and you could get food delivered in 30-45 minutes."
"Then, they made everybody an independent contractor and started calling themselves ASAP."
"'As slow as possible' caught on and they lost the majority market share within a month."
~ bravesgeek
GiphyHBO
"I still don’t understand HBO dropping probably the most prestigious name in cable tv/streaming."
~ stoneman9284
"Right?! Also it literally means Home Box Office - that’s the best name for a streaming service????"
~ oreos_in_milk
Nordic Choice Hotels
"Nordic Choice Hotels rebranded to 'Strawberry'."
"They have to mention their old name all the time, because Strawberry could be absolutely anything."
"If only it were 'Strawberry Hotels' but it's not. It's just Strawberry."
"They removed the part that explains what kind of business it is."
"Madness."
~ WoodSheepClayWheat
GiphyUSWest
"USWest-->Qwest-->CenturyLink-->Lumen I don’t care what your name is."
"Can I have more than 10mbps DSL at my address?"
~ Trickycoolj
"In Europe, and it's now Level3--> Centurylink--> Lumen--> Colt."
"I'm sure they rename in the hope people forget the incompetence."
~ ConsciousValence
"My mom has worked for them since 1977 when they were Northwestern Bell."
"She's been through a billion name changes."
~ CorporalBB
Circuit City IQ Crew
"Circuit City rebranding their PC technician division from IQ Crew (which predated Geek Squad, by the way) to..."
"Firedog."
"I worked at a Circuit City from 2005-2008 and we all thought it was a prank when we saw the announcement."
"'The intensity of fire with the loyalty of man's best friend'."
"I sh*t you not—that was the marketing."
~ Tiberius_Jim
GiphyBritish Petroleum
"When after a major oil spill, BP changed their branding to Beyond Petroleum for an ad campaign showing how they were investing in renewables."
"Logo change too."
~ RandomAmuserNew
"An oil spilled followed by a huge effort to cover it up, including dumping Corexit into the water to mix with the oil and make it sink."
"So it was no longer visible from aerial shots, but it did far, far more damage mixed with a dangerous chemical and sitting on the sea floor than slowly evaporating or being soaked up on the surface."
~ LurkerOrHydralisk
Amoco
"When BP purchased Amoco, they quickly rebranded all the stations to BP."
"Not sure if it is everywhere but Amoco had a lot of brand recognition in the Midwest and a lot of people just didn’t like BP."
"Eventually, they started rebranding some of their stations back to Amoco to cash in on nostalgia."
"I always thought it was dumb but never realized that so many people hated it until after I worked for BP (very briefly) and was told the story of how much pushback they got."
~ anitabelle
British Petroleum (BP Oil)/Paul Sableman
Overstock.com
"Overstock.com I think qualifies for weird rebrand."
"Bed Bath and Beyond went out of business and was bought out by Overstock and then Overstock just rebranded everything to Bed Bath and Beyond."
"If you go to overstock.com it’s just BBB."
~ WhatsABuckland
Snoop Dogg
"When Snoop Dogg (temporarily) changed his name to Snoop Lion to make a reggae album."
~ RomanOnARiver
"Snoop’s original name on Death Row was 'Snoop Doggy Dogg'. When he left Death Row and went to No Limit, he had to alter his name (which might have been his original name) to 'Snoop Dogg'."
~ GotMoFans
"Snoop’s mother used to call him Snoopy as a nickname which is the origin."
~ OpanaMan
"The Charles Schulz people would have had a field day."
~ GotMoFans
GiphyBooks-A-Million
"Books-A-Million to 'BAM'."
"I was in a parking lot with one and had no idea it was a bookstore, as I was a bit too far out to see more than 'BAM' from where I was parked."
~ lynnyfox
KIA
"Everytime I see the new KIA logo I assume its a NIN [Nine Inch Nails] fan."
~ vinyalwhl
"I thought it was KN for an embarrassingly long time."
~ VulfSki
"KIA changed their logo on their cars and Google showed an uptick in the searches for 'K N cars' because people liked the look of them but didn’t realise it was a KIA."
~ User_Deleted_Content
Mark Chan on Unsplash
Royal Mail
"Royal Mail deciding Consignia was the way to go forwards."
~ PonITdude
"They wanted to go international but they lost so much money that year they had to stay national and reversed the name back."
~ ShinyHead0
"Twitter to X."
~ sandiercy
"And then everyone still refers to it as Twitter."
~ Safety_Drance
"'A user on X, formerly known as Twitter, posted…'.”
~ tommyk1210
"Rather like to see 'A user on Twitter, erroneously known as X, posted...'."
~ SagittaryX
"'A user on twitter, largely unknown as X, posted...'."
~ Pinksters
"A few days ago, I saw an article that said 'Twitter, which Elon Musk incorrectly thinks is called X for some reason...'."
"That was pretty funny."
~ temalyen
GiphyCity Landmarks
"In Chicago we still call it the Sears Tower [renamed Willis Tower in 2009]."
~ baccus83
"And in Pittsburgh, it’s still Heinz Field [renamed Acrisure Stadium in 2022]."
~ NoVaBurgher
"And in Toronto, it’s still the Skydome [renamed Rogers Centre in 2005]."
~ nonanarchist
"And in New York when you take 287 across the Hudson it's still the Tappan Zee Bridge [renamed Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge in 2017]. "
~ keytarin
"A lot of LA people still call it Staples Center [renamed Crypto.com Arena in 2021]."
~ New_Simple_4531
"In Denver we will always say Mile High Stadium [renamed Empower Field at Mile High in 2019]."
~ SheBrokeHerCoccyx
Some rebrandings make perfect sense to the public.
Others are utterly baffling.
What would you add to this list?
People Discuss The Names They'd Choose If They Could Rename Earth
Earth is the only planet not named after a Greek or Roman god or goddess.
Saturn was the Roman god of agriculture.Jupiter was the King of the Roman gods.
So, why Earth?
The easy answer is we don't know.
The name "Earth" is derived from English and German words, 'eor(th)e/ertha' and 'erde' which mean ground. But why it was attributed to the planet and by whom is unknown.
So, since there aren't any sentimental ties to the name, why not choose another?
Redditor Tall_Blacksmith_3190 asked:
"You can rename Earth. What would you name it?"
Planet Wars
"Dearth Vader"
"Moon, I am your father."
- macey010
Not Lizard Spock?
"Rock"
- BumFighter69
"Paper!
"I win."
"Planet Paper it is then."
- avspuk
3rd Rock
"Sol 3"
- Nostonica
"Might as well call it what the visitors guide would say."
- WildesWay
Accurate
"Blue Ball"
- mickermiker
💩
"Shaturn"
- Everybodyleft
"Poopiter"
- yellacopter
"M-Arse"
- JuckChones
"Neptoot"
- KareemAbdulJafar_
"Penus"
- DarthRevanacci
"Now here are names I can get behind......no, wait."
- faustianBM
ÆR-¶6
"unpronounceable symbol"
- dad_with_specs
"The Planet Formerly Known as Earth"
- Electrical_Potato_21
Ha!
"Earth 4"
"Just to mess with aliens."
- Candid-Tip-6483
"You don’t wanna see the other 3”
- Legionof1
Misnomer
"It's synonymous with dirt."
"Yet it has more water."
"I need a fancy sounding foreign name for mud."
- catinapointyhat
"Slutch—synonymous with silt."
- on_a_pale-horse
"That's a nice word for such a naughty planet."
"Works on several levels, I'm in."
"Slutch it is."
- catinapointyhat
This Old Joke
"Ouranus"
- aremytearsglutenfree
"Myanus, if you will."
- Appropriate-Spell943
"Youranus or mine?"
- 01kickassius10
"Myanus is Uranus."
- sylphir3
Periodically
"Nife or NiFe."
"The planet is mostly nickel (Ni) and iron (Fe), right?"
"And who doesn't want to be able to claim they live on the NiFe's edge?"
- waltjrimmer
So, did any of these suggestions strike your fancy?
Do you have a better suggestion?
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Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
It's no secret the last year or so has changed all of our lives in ways we wouldn't have expected. Whether you've done well or struggled, people are seeing life and relationships differently than before.
You may have taken time for yourself and started a creative hobby or faced breakups and other heartbreaks. Maybe added to your family, or perhaps experienced loss.
How will you recall this time? One Redditor wanted to know how people would describe the unique chapter of our lives.
Redditor broteafog wanted to hear what people thought in a single line. They asked:
“What's this chapter of your life called?"
The pandemic 15...
"’The plot thickens’ - owing to my weight gain. You may refer to me as Plot.” qalarkiyv
"The Thiccening" siamlinio
Zoned out...
“Cruise Control” threedogafternoon
“Also known as the ‘make it look like I know what I'm doing’ chapter” Eternaltuesday
“it was always burning since the world's been turning...”
“Why is everything on fire?"Redditwhale1
“Everything is on fire but, it's not my fault.” Wrigley1121
Mask Trash GIF by 100% SoftGiphyWe agree...
“Why writing a book is more complicated than I expected." BW_bird
On a positive note...
“Healing phase.” Automatic-Cow-1436
Not the happiest place on earth...
“Part 9 of Chapter 23: Why did I sell my soul to a mouse?” SkinnyAynte
“You work for Disney?” AbilityWhole
happy black and white GIF by louis16artGiphyRegrets
“Crypto regrets.” Awesomost
*screams softly*
“These Are Supposed To Be My Peak Years. Emphasis On Supposed To.” ItsAFineMisoSoup
“‘Enjoy it! These are the best years of your life!’”
“cries” EmergencyMushroom1
Groundhog year...
“COVID Do-Over - Wipe the Slate Clean. New job, new home, new relationship, feels great to let go of all the toxic crap from my past that's been holding me back. The virus really gave a lot of people a chance to change their lives and try something new. Really glad I did.”
The last 15 months may have been dumpster for but we've taken time to reflect and hope for a better year.
Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
The best part of having children? You can name them anything!
The worst part of dealing with anybody's children...their parents can name their child anything.
Sometimes you stare down at a list of names and see a name that you can't help but gape at. Is that SERIOUSLY this child's name? Oh no...
u/hwbaiqkqj asked:
What is the most absurd baby name you have heard?
Here were some of those answers.
Clurt
I had a neighbor named Clurtis.
I just woke up my husband from laughing so hard lol CLURTIS lmao
All of the names on here are either urban legends, or things that famous people named their kids. Yours is hands down the best. It's both believable yet hilarious. I'm so curious to know where one comes up with the name Clurtis. Was the root Cletus or Curtis or both? It's amazing.
Danger Is My Middle Name. No....Really
Used to work in a military post partum ward. First name Chaos, middle name Danger.
Just Can't Get You Out Of My Head
Once knew a woman who was utterly obsessed with Kylie Minogue. When she got pregnant there was only one name for her child. Big day arrived, and she gave birth to a beautiful boy. We all thought that was the end of Kylie, but no. She named him Kai-Lee.
Next Will Be Zoom
At my kids elementary school, the teachers would decorate the outside door to their room with their students names. One kindergarten teacher had an interesting mix of names one year, most notably: September, Florida, and Skype. SKYPE. Someone named their kid Skype.
Shanda
Friend of a former colleague named their child Neil, which would have been fine if their surname wasn't Down.
At the rival high school was a girl named Crystal. No big deal. Last name Lear. Still fine. Middle name: Shanda.
Third Third Third
Thirdy. At first I thought it was a foreign name, but nope, they named their baby Thirdy because he was the third child.
Didn't Jacob Rees-Mogg name his 6th child Sextus? Poor kid, what do you even shorten that too?
Actually it was Sixtus, not that that's much better.
His kids are named Sixtus Dominic Boniface Christopher, Alfred Wulfric Leyson Pius, Anselm Charles Fitzwilliam, Thomas Wentworth Somerset Dunston, Peter Theodore Alphege, and Mary Anne Charlotte Emma. His daughter really got lucky with the naming lol
And I Oop
In elementary school I had a friend named Adam.
That was, until a Substitute teacher in the 5th grade obviously didn't read the notes left for him and when he took attendance, he called out Richard. We didn't have a Richard in our class. Or so we thought. Adam sheepishly put up his hand and said "I go by Adam".
His last name is Head.
It became quite obvious why he went by Adam.
Turns out Richard is a family name. He's actually Richard Head the 11th or so.
We Got Fancy
A friend liked the name Cassidy but thought it was too basic... So she named her daughter M'Cassidine. She was 15. We arent friends anymore so i wonder how M'Cassadine is doing... She was a beautiful baby tho.
Lucy Juicy Pudding Pie
My school vice principal was called Lucy Lamb. Not the worst, but you can't take someone seriously with such a cartoony name.
I just realised she was married, so assuming she took her husband's name her parents didn't intend to call her Lucy Lamb.
Pan Pacifica
A relative of mine had a job many years ago that involved meeting loads of people from southern pacific islands. Apparently it was the in thing to use English words as names because they sounded cool, or looked posh. One guy was called Pan Pacific Conference. Swear to god.
PS. Pan Pacific Conference, if you're on reddit and you read this, know that I've never forgotten your name, and still think it's the most awesome name ever.
Learning names isn't for everyone. It's hard to immediately get names right already when you first meet someone, but then, if you're a visual learner, it's like an extra step has to show up.
Sometimes it's just easier to meet someone and never learn their name because it's inconsequential to your daily routine, and also because your memory is so bad that you'll just end up forgetting it anyway.
u/Rotted_Root asked:
"What is the longest you've gone without knowing a person's name?"
Here were some of those stories.
Did I Forget My Own Grandmother's Name?
Work in a pharmacy. A young woman, say late teens early twenties, came up and asked to pick up her grandmother's prescription. I said no problem. What's her name? She looked at me with a blank face, asked me to hold on and called her family.
Ten Years A Numbskull
Most likely over a decade.
I'm in the UK and I've got to know many a bar acquaintance down my local pub.
Over time you get to know about their work, hobbies, likes and dislikes.
You get to know how many kids they have, how many times they have been married etc etc.
Then a friend from out of town visits you. And as you do in the UK, you go to the pub. Lo and behold your pub acquaintance is there and you introduce your pal from out of town only to realise you know everything about your pub pal - everything except their bloody name.
Neighbor No-Name
I moved into my condo in 2011 and I introduced myself to my one neighbor next door to me but instantly forgot his name. We would see each other in passing for years and I would always just say hi and the casual conversation. I met my wife in 2018 from a long distance relationship and when she finally moved in with me there was the awkward moment when I introduced her to him. I said this is my fiance (x) and we're getting married next month, he said congratulations and nice to meet you, then walked away. She asked me what his name was and I said I have no clue. Later that day she said his name is Brad and I was like "oh, he looks like a Brad" and she said he had no clue what my name was either so no big deal.
Party Friends
2 years is the longest so far.
I used to be a club promoter and I had a guy that bought tickets from me for every event he went to. He told me his name when I first met him but I forgot it soon after he told me, meeting lots of people makes it hard to remember names, especially when I don't even know if I'll ever see them again so what's the point of remembering everyone's names? After a certain point I saw him out partying often enough but it was past the point where I could ask him his name without it being awkward. I had him saved in my phone as Sir Prince Albert since he told me about his piercing so that I'd know who was texting me if we ever texted each other, but I didn't think to add his name since I wasn't sure what it was so that was no help.
Eventually we ended up at a party together and some people walked in and asked "hey have you seen phil?". After not remembering meeting anyone that night named Phil I said no I don't think there's a Phil here. Then that guy who's name I couldn't remember came up and joined the group and said "I'm right here! Don't worry Screechypete, these guys are cool I invited them!"
At that moment I finally found out his name and I played it off as "oh ok well if they are your friends then I guess it's cool if they stay." and just went with it.
To Be A Darren
My name is apparently Darren to this nice couple who own a restaurant in my town. My name is not Darren, I've known them for 2 years. We're even facebook friends, they can literally see and read my name, but it's cool. I always wanted to try being a Darren.
Once Again Another Neighbor No-Name
I've lived in my townhouse for almost 5 years now, and I don't know the name of the guy who lives directly across from me. I have pretty regular interactions with most of my neighbors, but I've never talked with this one guy beyond just exchanging pleasantries while passing each other.
When I moved in and first met him, I immediately forgot his name. I was almost positive he said it was Mike, so I went about 4 years just assuming that was probably his name, but not quite confident enough to actually call him Mike. Then a few months ago I was talking to some other neighbors in the parking lot when he walked by, and my other neighbors called out "Hey [name that is not Mike]!" So it was confirmed that this guy's name is NOT, in fact, Mike, and I was relieved I hadn't been calling him that for the past 5 years, but I immediately forgot again what his name actually is, so now all I know is that it is something other than Mike.
Myabe I'll learn his name by the time I've lived here 10 years.
Accidentally Correct
My next door neighbor introduced himself when he moved in. I promptly forgot his name. I danced around it for that same 5 years. He was from a French speaking part of Canada, so when talking with my wife, he was "French guy next door"
5 years after first meeting, he admits in a conversation that he'd forgotten my name. We have a good laugh and reintroduce ourselves.
His name was Guy. I had it right the whole time, he was French Guy next door.
Regulars By Their Orders
I'm a waiter. There are lots of customers who are regulars and I've known them for years, some of them close to a decade. Very few of them I know their names. Some of them get nicknames amongst the staff. Some favourites are
'Twix man' as he would always leave a twix chocolate bar with the tip.
'Emma and Stacy'1 two sisters who used to come in a lot, I know their names but not which one is which.
'The vegans' a young couple who were vegan but really cool, I do know their names now to be fair.
The Shuttles Look Alike
At work we have this old dude who drives shuttles. His name is Ron. I say, "hey Ron!" Everytime I see him. Five years down the road I see Ron standing next to another old dude. Turns out we have two shuttle drivers. I've been saying "Hi Ron" to the other guy 50% of the time for five years. Does this count?
Was It An Australian Accent?
My first year of uni I had this weed dealer/friend. When he introduced himself I thought he said, "N" I asked him multiple times if he could repeat it and I even said it back to him. So for the first year I called him "N". That's how it was in my phone too. Well at the end of the year I learned that his name was actually Ian, and that I had misheard due to his accent.
Whoops On The Name
A little over 7 years. Really tall redneck that was kind of a dick where I work. It's an analytical laboratory, he brought is samples from one of the production areas. I'm apparently responsible for his nickname, Pig F***er. I called him that big f***er early on, people misheard me and the name stuck. Sorry Tim. Ya jerk.
Just Guessing At This Point
For more than 20 years with some of my relatives. I don't meet them often, but when I do, they all greet me by my name (even their kids whom I meet for the first time). Imagine having to deal with more than 20 people that know your name and how you relate to them for days on end.
Willy N(e)lly
I lived next door to an elderly woman for about 10 years. Her name was Nelly and she was always very sweet.
Her daughter came over one day and told me Willy died, I told her I didn't know a Willy but I was very sorry for her loss. She looked at me like I was nuts, and said I'd lived next door to her mom for 10 years.
Turns out I misheard her, and she had bad hearing we both heard what we expected to hear.
I'm A Dude, She's A Dude
I always have had a terrible memory for names, it showed when a summer school friend I had called 'dude' the entire time and I still can't remember their name to this day after being friends for a couple months. But that wasn't even the worst...
High school, freshman year I was in a new school and didn't know anyone. Managed to find a nice group of nerdy friends though it got me hooked on MtG. One day I was introducing a new person to the group yet I had totally blanked on his name. I didn't want to admit it and so had the smart idea of jokingly introducing him as 'Bob'. Clearly not his name yet instead of correcting me he rolled with it. From then on everyone in our group knew him as Bob to the point that an entire circle of friends didn't know his real name. It wasn't until three years later when in the senor year, we were asking a teacher where 'bob' was and he looked confused and asked us if we meant 'Kevin'. Now I still remember his real name even if I haven't spoken to him in over ten years.
Just Gonna Disappear Now
So, funny story. I met a girl and really hit it off with her, but she never told me her name. We texted a ton, made plans to go on a date, and I was extremely excited. She delved really deep into her life story and experiences but still. no. name. I knew her first pet's name, the street she grew up on, and basically every other security question. I could tell you the age that she decided what her career path would be, or her favorite ice cream flavor. It was so jarring.
It was some real Seinfeldian stuff, I'm telling you. I deliberated on how to find out her name, asking friends and loved ones advice on this. On a side note, my friends give shit advice it turns out. My cousin finally said to me, "Ask her, you idiot." And so I did.
She ghosted me. I guess it wasn't meant to be.
An Even Exchange
I spent 18 months at my current job with a guy calling me Dave. One day he called me over and some other guys looked at him like he was nuts. When he found out my real name he was upset and spent the next 6 months apologising. Here's the thing, I didn't mind because I'm useless at remembering names. It's 2 years since he stopped apologising. But he wears his ID badge back to front and to this day I'm not entirely sure what he's called.