Following the news that Aunt Jemima is being rebranded as the Pearl Milling Company by PepsiCo and its subsidiary Quaker;

Khalid Peerbaccus, Senior Researcher at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers his view:

“The name change could not come at a better time for some. GlobalData has found that *43% of consumers globally say that, in the current situation, how ethical/socially-responsible a product or service is often or always has the greatest influence on their purchase choice, while a further *33% admit that this somewhat affects their product choices. Aunt Jemima is a well-established brand and so this move is less risky and the decision will be popular with younger consumers.

“While those that have grown accustomed to the Aunt Jemima brand name may not be so easily sold on a name change, the reasons for doing so are clearly well intentioned. The brand has done well to shed itself of an image that is no longer acceptable in today’s world where consumers are increasingly looking to make more ethically and socially responsible decisions.

“The change comes on the heels of Uncle Ben’s rebranding and could see other brands following suit, depending on the smoothness of the transition, as well as positive public perception. However, there is a risk of alienating loyal fans of the brand who are not entirely convinced of PepsiCo’s motivation and may ask why the company did not act sooner.”

*GlobalData’s COVID-19 Recovery Consumer Survey Results – Week 11 (published December 9th) – Global. Survey asked how ethical/environmentally-friendly/socially-responsible the product or service is. Combined responses: ‘Always’ or ‘Often’ than before [the pandemic]