In the restaurant business, specialty is often the most important thing. Many eateries are known for a few or even just one dish that has a major following. In fact, a restaurant can be so famous for that one thing that its owner is willing to name the whole establishment after the thing to continue attracting customers. American fast food chain Pizza Hut is a prime example of such practice. Just by looking at the name, it is pretty obvious what customers of Pizza Hut go there to buy.

But what if the restaurant suddenly wants to shift its focus to some other specialty? A brand name named after the previous specialty can certainly get in the way. Pizza Hut has found an interesting solution. While announcing that the company is beginning to shift its focus from pizzas to “sit-down restaurant quality” pasta, the Pizza Hut leadership also declared that a brand name for the store, appropriately named Pasta Hut, will be marketed along with the original Pizza Hut brand in a co-branding effort across their worldwide operations. In fact, it is even rumored that the Pizza Hut name will eventually be completely phased out in favor of the Pasta Hut brand. 

The Internet is now abuzz with the news of potential name change. Among the arguments of whether this is a joke or an actual marketing scheme, Pasta Hut has gained strong publicity amidst the controversy. Many of Pizza Hut’s loyal followers have pledge to try the new specialty pasta dishes and many others have remarked on the goodness of Pizza Hut’s previous pasta offerings. Even if people thinks the name change to be ridiculous or even weird, the widespread attention given to the change assures that the new Pasta Huts can certainly expect to gain a strong foothold in the fast food market.

Pizza Hut’s daring move to completely revamp its branding serves as a guiding light for many businesses who seeks to make major changes to their images, products, or services. Relying on the fame of a previous brand to co-brand a new name is a definitely a workable strategy in the effort to open doors to new markets. But, for us at Labbrand, one question is still left unanswered: What will be Pasta Hut’s Chinese name when it is introduced to the Chinese market?

Source: skynews.com.au