Adventures in mis/rebranding

type="html">Dannon licensed Oikos from its sister company StonyfieldOrganic, thus creating two similar-looking but differently constituted “Oikos”®Greek yogurts on the market.  Much confusionresulted.  (Indeed, this post isbrought to you by dissatisfaction within my household over having bought thewrong product.)  Stonyfield has now surrenderedOikos to Dannon entirely, so it has (allegedly) gone from signifyingorganic Greek yogurt to signifying conventional Greek yogurt, though I suspect that many people will retain their original organic associations, at least for a while.  The Oikos websitedoesn’t yet reflect this change, though its contents certainly explain whyDannon/Stonyfield quickly came to reconsider name-sharing.  E.g.,

Why is Dannon making Oikos®? To beclear, Dannon is not making all of the Oikos products. Dannon and Stonyfieldhave worked together to bring Oikos Greek yogurt to more stores near you….

Is Stonyfield Organic Oikos goingto change or go away?

Absolutely not! [Ed. note: exceptyes!] Stonyfield Organic Oikos Greek Yogurt will remain exactly the same ….

Does Dannon own Stonyfield? Whatexactly is the relationship between Dannon and Stonyfield?

No, Dannon doesn’t own Stonyfield.

… How will I know the differencebetween Stonyfield and Dannon Oikos at the grocery store?

Stonyfield Organic Oikos packaginghasn’t changed….

What is the difference betweenStonyfield Organic Oikos and Dannon Oikos?

Stonyfield Organic Oikos and DannonOikos are both authentic Greek yogurts ….

[Amusingly, this last is designateda “pricing question”]

I bought the wrong kind of Oikos.Can you help?

We’re sorry for the confusion.We’ve tried to make the two kinds of Oikos distinct, but if you grabbed thewrong product by mistake, contact us. We’re happy to send you a coupon for acup of Stonyfield Organic Oikos or Dannon Oikos.

When a brand has to answer that many questions all on thesame theme, it has a problem. Next time you hear that trademarks guaranteeconsistent quality, remember that trademark owners aren’t required to maintainany consistency—even thick and creamy.

ETA: The rebranding hasn't quite made it through every portion of the Stonyfield package.  From the back:

 

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