Perhaps realizing there was no better way to get the public’s attention than a little outrage, Goldfish changed the name of its iconic cheese crackers to Chilean Sea Bass.
The move, intended to turn heads and perhaps stir up free publicity for the brand, won’t affect the taste, shape or… well, anything else about the cookie crispy. But a radical name change is one of the easiest ways for a brand to stand out in a commercial world.
IHOP has seen one flood of attention in 2018 when it announced its name change to IHOb (International burger house). Of course, the name change was a sham, but it helped the company quadruple its burger sales. Pizza Hut, in 2009, changed its name to Pasta Hut to introduce a new line of Tuscani Pastas products. And Budweiser, in 2016, briefly asked consumers to call it “American.” (Almost no one did but sales increased slightly.)
So what is the purpose of this name change? Attract older customers.
The company said the name change is aimed at attracting back older snackers who ate these foods when they were younger. Generation Z and Millennials are the target audience.
That said, it should be noted that this “name change” will not be reflected on grocery store shelves. If you want a bag of Chilean Sea Bass branded Goldfish crackers, you’ll need to go to a store specialized website to buy one (actually two – because they’ll be sold in pairs for $7.38 through October 30).
“We know what love is for Goldfish spans all ages. Chilean sea bass is a playful nod to adults that the iconic fish-shaped snack is also for grown-up tastes, Danielle Brown, vice president of Goldfish, said in a statement.
The company notes that more than 50% of Goldfish buyers are adults — a number that we admit makes us a little confused since we don’t see many elementary school students lining up to check out at the grocery store. chemistry.
