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The NFL team agreed to an official review of its name, a racial slur towards Native Americans, last week. D.C. locals have been talking about this change since before the team’s last Super Bowl win in 1992.
Because of the broader Black Lives Matter and anti-racism movement, brands are feeling the pressure to change offensive branding.
- After receiving similar public backlash due to racially insensitive imagery, Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben’s recently agreed to make changes.
- Seeing other brands willing to remove racist mascots sparked criticism against team owner Dan Snyder, who said in 2013 that he would never change the name.
- A group of investors worth $620 billion last week asked FedEx, Nike, and PepsiCo to cut ties with the team until it agreed to change its name.
Does a brand by any other name still smell as sweet?
Just like Redskins fans, the branding community has known for a long time that name changes are a big deal. Harvard Business Review research found almost a decade ago that “when customers see a brand name change, they expect radically new features.”
And the research holds up today: A HubSpot report from less than a year ago used IHOP and Dunkin’, among others, as case studies to suggest that if renaming is an absolute necessity, it’s important to “focus on alignment with your brand's vision, mission, and values.”
My takeaway: With great name change comes great responsibility. Just like other brands with racist mascots, the football team’s leaders need to make sure they demonstrate values aligned with the new name in order for it to come across as authentic. Plus, the team needs to really nail it with the new name to avoid an IHOb situation.