Why We Rebranded

Rebranding is expensive and time consuming, especially for a boot strapped startup that’s just hitting product-market fit. Here’s why we rebranded from Ribbon to MeetRibbon.

Naming is tricky

Take my name, Vinit, for instance — a common name in India. Back home, my mom calls me Vinu, while over here in the US, Starbucks baristas have dubbed me Vinny. And, believe it or not, spell check autocorrects my name to “Vomit.” When I have to spell it out, I simplify it to Vin. There were moments when I toyed with the idea of just changing my name to avoid the hassle. However, as an immigrant who later became a citizen, my name is a big part of my identity. It’s something that those I wish to connect with in my professional and personal life respect and appreciate.

Plus, “Vinit” turns out to be much more google friendly. Unlike the sea of Vinnys and Vins out there, Vinit wins search.

This personal journey mirrors our journey in rebranding. Just like how I realized the unique value of my name, we recognized the need for a brand that distinctly represents our mission and values.

Companies have made a miss steps with name changes. Take Coke rebranding to New Coke. So, you can imagine we approached this whole rebranding thing with a mix of excitement and brick sh*tting. However, when you’re our size, any change while it may seem monumental to us, is still like a tree falling in a B2B forest.

Which way should we go? Was the current name hurting our brand? What’s the long term cache?Let’s let’s look at how we approached the name change.

Naming Our Baby

When we first conceived Ribbon, the name was derived as a means to “Tie” together order writing, B2B sales and commissions into one elegant platform for sales agencies.

However Covid happened and our core audience grew to Trade Show organizers. It was less about a platform tying disparate pieces of order writing software together in the cloud.

It was organizers who needed to add e-commerce to their repertoire to make up for remote or falling attendance. The Ribbon was about tying onsite and online.

“Meet” is about meetings, connections, community — which fits better with trade shows. It’s also more memorable and better for SEO. We ran the name by Google.

Aunty SEO Weighs In

When we first started, we were the only Ribbon. Even the domain was available. It still is for $25K per month.

Today there’s Ribbon Communications, Ribbon Home, even a Ribbon Commerce somewehere in the UK. Prior to the name change, we were ranked on page 3, which means we didn’t exist. The first page was populated with silk, satin and grosgain Ribbon suppliers along with the other Ribbon wannabes.

The data showed that 80% of our traffic originated from the keyword “meetribbon”. The second most popular was “meet ribbon”. The third, strangely originated from one of our customers “Karen Alweil Studio”. followed by a more logical “Ribbon Platform”

The good news is we now, with the name change, we rank on page 1, the first search result.

What Cousin AI Thought

The second litmus test was if ChatGPT would recognize who we were. Soon it will be commonplace to head over to ChatGPT to get the lowdown on a brand.

Here’s the difference, before and after the name change:

What does Ribbon do? Pre-name change led to a dissertation on Ribbon Communications. Should we get a referral fee each time someone signs up for their IP plans?

When we ask “What does meetribbon do?”
Meetribbon is a modern platform designed to revolutionize the way trade shows and e-commerce are integrated. It serves as a comprehensive solution that ties together the key aspects of event management and digital commerce, specifically catering to the needs of exhibitors and attendees.

I don’t know how ChatGPT came up with description that but it’s pretty darn accurate.

How Our Community Felt

The real push for our rebranding came directly from our customers. It was enlightening to hear that almost instinctively, they referred to us as “MeetRibbon” — mirroring the original essence and representation found in our URL. This organic shift by our community wasn’t just about a name; it symbolized a deeper alignment with our vision.

The concept of “meeting” resonated with our ambition to build connections within our community. It wasn’t just just about the functionality of buying stuff online or making an inquiry about a case of candles or bath salts; it was about using digital to foster meaningful interactions in physical spaces.

Moreover, this transition wasn’t just semantic. It extended into the very aesthetics of our brand. The colors we chose in the rebranding process were deliberately picked to be more inviting and warm, reflecting the welcoming and inclusive space we aim to provide. This visual upgrade was in harmony with our commitment to being a platform where everyone feels valued and connected.

The shift to MeetRibbon, as inspired by our community’s instinctive use of the name, was an affirmation of our direction. It underscored the importance of listening to those we serve.

Just like I was born Vinit. Not an westernized version of my name (I know a guy Mehernosh who goes by Mike).

The next step was to think about how to extend this out to other applications.

How We’re Extending The Brand

Along with the logo type we also designed a logo mark. A hand wave, as a friendly gesture while meeting people. With that we set ourselves for a personality we always wanted. Fun, welcoming, collaborative.

A logo word mark and logo mark are nothing in isolation. The designer has to conceive how the logo will evolve in various applications.

• What would a native app look like?
• How can it break the ice with a business card?
• How will it apply in a product demo video?
• How would it make it’s way into product design?

These are questions we’ll need to answer.

Of course rebranding doesn’t always work.

Some examples of how it did work was when Research in Motion (RIM) rebranded to Blackberry. What followed by spectacular name recognition and adoption. Until Apple came along. Which also successfully rebranded from Apple Computer to Apple.

Is it better to shorten a name. Not always. Overstock to O.com created confusion in the market. So did Royal Mail to Consignia (Ok what were they thinking!)

It’s about what name feels right for you. The jury is out for how our audience receives it. Because ultimately branding is about what people say you are, not what you tell them.

The rebranding was possible thanks to the spectacular efforts of Priyanka Roy, Cioty Tjia and Vicente Montelongo.

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Vinit Patil is co-founder/ CEO of MeetRibbon a trade show platform that ties the event management of trade shows with e-commerce.