Why does the coffee origin country debate matter to brands?

A NAIXUE store in Shenzhen Bao'an Dalian Place reopened as the second NAIXUE Tea green light drinks and light meals shop, but the light box now reads "by Naisnow NAIXUE." Two stores use the name and a new snowflake logo. The parent company filed eight trademark applications in March, including Naisnow NAIXUE.

The brand was originally Nayuki, then shifted to NAIXUE in 2023 partly to avoid being taken for a Japanese-style label. Reaction is split: some read the change as groundwork for overseas expansion, others find the new name hard to say and the logo unlike a tea brand. Repeated renaming risks weakening recognition, much as coffee origin country labels anchor identity.

The NAIXUE store in Shenzhen Bao'an Dalian Place has debuted as "the country's second NAIXUE Tea·green light drinks and light meals store," but customers noticed that the wording on the light box sign has changed from "by NAIXUE" to "by Naisnow NAIXUE." On social platforms, some netizens also shared photos showing that two stores have adopted "Naisnow NAIXUE" and a new snowflake-shaped logo, sparking widespread discussion. NAIXUE was originally called "Nayuki," and because it was often mistaken for a Japanese-style brand, it gradually changed to "NAIXUE" in 2023. Tianyancha shows that its parent company submitted 8 trademark applications in March this year, including "Naisnow NAIXUE." Netizens have mixed opinions on the new name. Some speculate that it is paving the way for overseas expansion, while others think it is neither Chinese nor Western, hard to remember and hard to pronounce. The new logo has also been criticized as looking like a biotech company or a software icon. Whether frequent brand name changes affect brand awareness has become a focal point.

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Recently, the NAIXUE store in Shenzhen Bao'an Dalian Place reappeared before local consumers as "the country's second NAIXUE Tea·green light drinks and light meals store," attracting many fans to visit and check in and experience the brand's newly launched drinks and meals.

However, during their store visits, some sharp-eyed customers noticed that the light box sign at the newly opened store no longer read "by NAIXUE" as before, but "by Naisnow NAIXUE." This change surprised many people.

At the same time, two netizens on social platforms also discovered that NAIXUE stores had adopted the new name. One store has already opened to the public, and the entrance sign and in-store promotional posters all use "Naisnow NAIXUE" and the new snowflake-shaped logo. The other is still under renovation, but the already installed light box sign also displays the words "Naisnow NAIXUE."

For many fans, when they first saw "Naisnow," they mistakenly thought it was some tea drink shop imitating NAIXUE, and they took out their phones to take photos as evidence and email the brand owner. But after careful observation, they found that the drinks sold in the store were no different from those in other NAIXUE stores. After confirming that it was indeed an official newly opened store, all that remained was shock at the brand-new green-and-white logo, and they sighed that the brand had changed its name again.

It should be noted that when NAIXUE was first founded, its brand name was "Nayuki," but because the name was often misunderstood by the public as a Japanese-style brand, it triggered public controversy. Therefore, in 2023, the brand gradually changed the signs of stores across the country to today's "NAIXUE."

According to Tianyancha, Shenzhen Pindao Catering Management Co., Ltd., to which NAIXUE belongs, submitted a total of 8 trademark applications in March this year, including "Naisnow NAIXUE" and the new logo, which surprised many netizens. From this, it can be inferred that after redesigning the new trademark, the company has already adopted the new brand name in newly opened stores, and perhaps before long, stores nationwide will complete this update.

Faced with this more concise new name, many people speculate that NAIXUE's sudden name change may be related to the brand's plan to enter overseas markets. "It's normal if you're going overseas, right? The xue sound can't be pronounced in many places."

But more people, upon seeing NAIXUE's new name "Naisnow," only found it incongruous, "Neither fish nor fowl, and not thoroughly English either," "People originally thought naixue was pinyin, which was pretty good." They sharply commented that the name is half pinyin and half English, "neither Chinese nor Western," and believed the new name is neither easy to pronounce nor easy to remember.

As for the green-and-white snowflake-shaped logo, in many people's eyes it may bring to mind genetic testing companies or biotech companies. Some also think this simple-patterned logo resembles certain software icons, making it hard to associate with a tea drink brand.

In the view of netizens, repeated name changes by the brand may cause the public familiar with the old name to misunderstand it and may also affect brand awareness. They pointed out that a certain tea drink brand previously saw its awareness decline after a name change and was eventually forgotten by the public. In addition, loyal users believe that the company should "focus its attention on product quality."

Image source: Internet

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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.