Brand evolution is indeed the journey that every company travels, at least to keep up with time. All these years, many major corporations have gone through rebranding to reflect their expanding vision, diversification of the business, or even a different market positioning. And amidst all this, Zomato went a step ahead, rebranding its parent company as Eternal Ltd., an indication of evolution from being a food delivery giant to something that may stretch beyond just one line of business.
Why Do Brands Rebrand?
Rebranding is certainly not a name change; it is an identity, positioning, and business goals strategy change. The following are some major reasons that companies adopt this process:
- Beyond Core Business: When firms enter multiple verticals, they may require a new identity because of the portfolio structure in which they are visible.
- Mergers and Acquisitions: In most cases, the firms share a new name coming from both sides when merging.
- Reputation Management: If it has endured bad publicity, that brand can still go on and continue to build its image.
- Modernization and Relevance: Businesses need to make changes and shift in relevance along with changing expectations and trends among customers.
- Differentiation: Fresh identity for most brand names is also used to stand out from other competitors.
Examples of Successful Brand Rebranding
1. Facebook to Meta
One of the biggest corporate rebrands in recent years was Facebook’s transition to Meta in 2021. Mark Zuckerberg announced this shift to reflect the company’s focus beyond social media, embracing the metaverse and virtual reality (VR) innovations. While Facebook remains a core product, Meta serves as the parent entity overseeing platforms like Instagram, WhatsApp, and Oculus.
2. Google to Alphabet
During this last year, all the Googles’ were thrown under one umbrella of a new parent company, called Alphabet Inc., just to separate the traditional search engine from so many other things the company had been handling, like Waymo (self-driving cars), DeepMind (AI research), and Verily (life sciences). So, Google could keep its focus while Alphabet got to dabble in everything else.
3. From Dunkin’ Donuts to Dunkin’
Dunkin’ changed its name to Dunkin’ in 2018 and removed “Donuts” from the name to imply that the company’s product itself involved coffee, tea, and other beverages, as well as donuts. The shifting of the name allowed the company to differentiate itself in consumers’ operations or thinking beyond just donuts in their consumption and therefore changing demographically the brand.
Zomato’s Transition to Eternal Ltd.: A New Chapter
Zomato started as a food platform to discover food and get them delivered, transforming how customers order food through online services. It has grown across various verticals in the last couple of years, such as:
- Blinkit: Quick commerce grocery delivery
- Hyperpure: A B2B platform that supplies quality products for restaurants.
With these flourishing businesses within it, Zomato realized that its own corporate identity should be transformed to meet up with this evolution. It decided thus to rebrand its parent company as Eternal Ltd. and Zomato would henceforth continue as a brand under this new entity.
Why “Eternal”? The Vision Behind the Name
Deepinder Goyal, the CEO, clarifies that Eternal is more than just a name; it is a symbolism for immortality and the idea that there will be businesses that outlive the worthiness of their founders. Zomato then metamorphoses from an online food company into a more encompassing yet diversified behemoth.
As a matter of fact, the Zomato app remains the company’s business, but the name change signifies a promising commitment to innovation, expansion, and sustainability in the long haul. This differentiation further helps investors, partners, and customers to understand well the difference between Zomato as a brand and Eternal Ltd. as a company.
A New Corporate Structure: The Multiple-CEO Model
Besides rebranding, Eternal Ltd. has also unveiled a multi-CEO structure wherein every leader oversees a different business unit:
- For instance, Zomato will continue to focus on food delivery.
- Blinkit will work on expanding its presence in the quick-commerce space.
- Hyperpure will strengthen the supply chain operations.
This decentralized leadership model allows each business to operate independently, making agile decisions while still being part of the broader Eternal ecosystem.
By appointing multiple CEOs, Eternal ensures that each business unit receives dedicated attention, expertise, and strategic direction, enhancing overall operational efficiency.
What This Means for Zomato’s Future
- Strengthened Market Position
By diversifying beyond food delivery, Eternal Ltd. makes itself less dependent on a single business model and thus establishes a more resilient position against market fluctuations.
- Competitive Edge in Quick-Commerce
With Blinkit burgeoning, Eternal is ready to pit itself with players, such as Zepto and Swiggy Instamart, solidifying its presence in the grocery delivery space.
- More Investment Opportunities for Investors
Eternal has now emerged as an entity perceived as multi-industry rather than simply a food delivery platform; the new identity now brings more investment potential.
- Future-Proofing Business
Eternal Ltd. connotes continuous businesses beyond the reach of generations and shifts from a short-range mentality towards long-term innovation and capacity.
Final Thoughts: The Power of Rebranding
Eternal Ltd. being Zomato’s new avatar doesn’t mean that it has changed the name-it is just a part of a larger strategy. By having a new identity, the company will prepare itself for an inevitable future where food delivery might just be part of a larger ecosystem that it will evolve into.
This forward-thinking move towards a futuristic vision-the future where and why the company should remain relevant, competitive, and sustainable over the years-is similar to what Google’s rebranding to Alphabet or what Facebook does by calling itself Meta.
The company has more names, varied business models, and a leadership framework that is nimble-and therefore, Eternal Ltd. will redefine the entire digital and e-commerce landscape in India and globally.
This is a rebranding exercise at the deepest level: to build something that shall last not just for decades but for centuries.
