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The Campbell Soup Company, a name with "soup" for more than 150 years, urges to change its name. The company announced that it will drop the word "soup" and rebrand as the "Campbell Company" to better reflect its broader product line and may be able to grow its snack sales.
While Campbell is famous for its soups, the company has expanded into a variety of other food and snack products over the years.
Campbell Soup Rebrands
Campbell's CEO Mark Clouse explained the change as a way to keep the company's name recognizable while also acknowledging that it is no longer just a soup company. The company has made big moves in the snack business and it shows. Snack sales increased by 13% last year, while soup sales only grew by 3%, according to USA Today.
Campbell's product lineup goes far beyond soup these days. The company owns popular brands such as Pepperidge Farm, which makes Goldfish crackers, Swanson, Pace Foods, Prego, and Snyder's-Lance, which is famous for its pretzels.
Campbell recently acquired Sovos Brands, a food company that makes popular products like Rao's pasta sauces, Noosa yogurt, and Birch Benders pancake mixes.
This $2.7 billion deal is expected to strengthen Campbell's presence in grocery stores and boost its food and beverage division. The company's history dates back to 1869 when it was first founded as the Anderson & Campbell firm. Over the years, it became famous for its soups and adopted the Campbell Soup name in 1922.
However, with the company expanding into so many other areas of the food industry, the decision was made to update the name to reflect its broader focus.
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Other Companies That Rebranded
Campbell is not alone in changing its name to reflect a growing business. Other companies also made similar changes. Dunkin' Donuts shortened its name to just "Dunkin" in 2019 to highlight its growing coffee business. Krispy Kreme also dropped "Doughnuts" from its corporate name ahead of a major stock offering in 2021, though it still featured doughnuts prominently in its logo, according to WSLS.
Domino's Pizza did something similar in 2012 when it removed "Pizza" from its name, as it expanded its menu beyond just pizza. Even Starbucks has changed its name and logo over the years. The company, originally "Starbucks Coffee, Tea, and Spices" in 1971, has shortened its name to just Starbucks. However, the company still uses the full name in some locations worldwide.
According to marketing experts, name changes like this can be risky but are often necessary for companies looking to grow, Campbell's name change still needs approval from shareholders, which will be decided in a vote on November. If approved, Campbell will officially become the Campbell Company, a name that reflects both its history and its future in the snack and food business.
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