IHOP Changes Name to IHOb

The mere thought of a brand name change is something that can make even the most fearless executive flinch. But IHOP did it. The International House of Pancakes has changed its name to The International House of Burgers (for the time being). And while the temporary-ish branding status is unclear, it does signal how serious the brand is about shaking up the breakfast world with this promotion.

There is no doubt that this brand change is an elaborate promotion that has the internet buzzing. Weeks ago, IHOP teased viewers with mysterious ad spots flipping the “p” to a “b” in their name. Now that the news is out, the company has gone as far as changing its store signage to reflect the name change—which is no small feat since there are roughly 1,695 IHOb restaurants. The chain is also using IHOb on social media in place of IHOP, giving one of America’s juiciest lunch foods prominence within their digital footprint.

In a statement from the Head of Culinary at IHOP,

“Burgers are a quintessential, American menu item so it makes perfect sense that IHOP, one of the most iconic, all-American comfort-food brands in the world, would go over the top to create a delicious line-up of quality burgers that hit the spot any time of day.”

Everyone would probably agree that an undertaking this large has a lot of moving parts and some exorbitant costs involved. Hopefully the positive press from the promotion is well worth the effort for IHOb.