Campbell wants to say goodbye to the 'soup' in its name. It isn't the first to make such a change

NEW YORK (AP) — Campbell is ready to drop the soup — at least from its official name.

Campbell Soup Co. announced its intention to change its name at an annual meeting of investors on Tuesday. The 155-year-old food seller, which is most famous for its namesake canned soups, says it would now like to be known as Campbell's Co.

CEO Mark Clouse said in a statement that this “subtle yet important change" will retain the company's iconic name “while better reflecting the full breadth" of its portfolio today.

Campbell hasn't been exclusive to the soup business for some time. The company also owns brands like Prego sauce and Goldfish crackers — and completed a $2.7 billion acquisition of Sovos Brands, the maker of Rao’s pasta sauces, just earlier this year.

Campbell's roots date back to 1869, as a modest operation out of New Jersey that later grew. The current Campbell Soup name was adopted in 1922, according to the company's website.

The new name isn’t final yet, as it's still subject to a shareholder approval vote in November. But the New Jersey company is far from the first to attempt such as makeover. A handful of other food companies have also rebranded themselves over the years — often shedding the mention of specific item they were known for with shorter corporate title, or even an updated logo, in hopes of emphasizing other business.

Manoj Thomas, a marketing professor at Cornell University's SC Johnson College of Business, says that it's important to consider whether a new name will disrupt product recognition or stray from a brand's identity. But he doesn't see these risks with Campbell — noting that the move is “unlikely to affect consumer perception” and may instead signal a "drive for expansion and growth."

Here are some past examples.

Back in 2018, Dunkin' Donuts decided to shorten its name to just “Dunkin'" — which officially took effect in January 2019.

The Massachusetts-based chain had toyed with the idea for some time. And, while doughnuts are still very much on the menu, it eventually decided to rename itself to reflect its increasing emphasis on coffee and other drinks.

Krispy Kreme also dropped “doughnuts” from its corporate name several years later — ahead of the Charlotte, North Carolina-based company's second time going public in 2021.

According to a securities filing, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts changed its name to Krispy Kreme Inc. in May 2021. But the word “doughnuts” still prominently accompanies the Krispy Kreme name on the chain's logo and boxes of treats.

Domino's Pizza took the word “pizza” out of its logo and off storefronts back in 2012, with leadership of the Ann Arbor, Michigan-based chain at the time citing menu expansions and other in-store updates. But its parent company is still named “Domino's Pizza Inc.," which is what the brand trades as on the New York Stock Exchange.

Starbucks has also seen logo changes over the years — which included the shortening, and then dropping, of the Seattle coffee giant's name over the years.

Back in 1971, Starbucks' original logo depicted a siren surrounded by its then-name “Starbucks Coffee, Tea, and Spices,” the company notes on its website. In 1987, that siren got a makeover and the name encircling her was shortened to “Starbucks Coffee” — and by 2011, Starbucks introduced its latest logo, which doesn't feature the company's name at all.

While absent from the logo, Starbucks still operates as “Starbucks Coffee Co.," or similar names that include the word “coffee” in many countries around the world, as subsidiaries of the larger Starbucks Corp.

KFC hasn’t been using the longer “Kentucky Fried Chicken” name for decades. The Yum brands-owned fast food chain shortened its name back in 1991, according to Snopes.

Still, messing with iconic brands can also have consequences — and potentially cause false rumors speculating reasons for the change. Long after shortening its name, Louisville-based KFC, for example, had to issue a press release a few years ago to combat an online rumor that it was forced to change its name because it doesn’t serve real chicken.

FILE - Cans of Campbell's soup are displayed in a supermarket on March 25, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — Sean “Diddy" Combs was expected to appear before a federal judge in New York on Tuesday after his indictment on undisclosed criminal charges.

The music mogul was arrested late Monday in Manhattan, roughly six months after federal authorities conducting a sex trafficking investigation raided his luxurious homes in Los Angeles and Miami.

The indictment detailing the charges was expected to be unsealed Tuesday morning, according to U.S. Attorney Damian Williams.

Over the past year, Combs has been sued by people who say he subjected them to physical or sexual abuse. He has denied many of those allegations and his lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, called the new indictment an “unjust prosecution.”

“He is an imperfect person, but he is not a criminal,” Agnifilo said in a statement late Monday.

Combs, 54, was recognized as one of the most influential figures in hip-hop before a flood of allegations that emerged over the past year turned him into an industry pariah.

In November, his former girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie, whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, filed a lawsuit saying he had beaten and raped her for years. She accused Combs of coercing her, and others, into unwanted sex in drug-fueled settings.

The suit was settled in one day but months later CNN aired hotel security footage showing Combs punching and kicking Cassie and throwing her on a floor. After the video aired, Combs apologized, saying, “I was disgusted when I did it.”

Combs and his attorneys, however, denied similar allegations made by others in a string of lawsuits.

Douglas Wigdor, a lawyer for Cassie, said in a statement Tuesday that “neither Ms. Ventura nor I have any comment.”

“We appreciate your understanding and if that changes, we will certainly let you know,” he added.

A woman said Combs raped her two decades ago when she was 17. A music producer sued, saying Combs forced him to have sex with prostitutes. Another woman, April Lampros, said Combs subjected her to “terrifying sexual encounters,” starting when she was a college student in 1994.

The AP does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly, as Cassie and Lampros did.

Combs, the founder of Bad Boy Records, has gotten out of legal trouble before.

In 2001, he was acquitted of charges related to a Manhattan nightclub shooting two years earlier that injured three people. His then-protege, Shyne, was convicted of assault and other charges and served about eight years in prison.

This story has been corrected to show that Combs' age is 54, not 58.

Associated Press writer Andrew Dalton in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

FILE - Host Sean "Diddy" Combs presents the revolt black excellence award at the Billboard Music Awards, May 15, 2022, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

Sean 'Diddy' Combs is expected in court after New York indictment

Sean 'Diddy' Combs is expected in court after New York indictment

FILE - Sean "Diddy" Combs arrives at the LA Premiere of "The Four: Battle For Stardom" at the CBS Radford Studio Center on May 30, 2018, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File)