–Susan Perera, Attorney
Just announced yesterday, Minneapolis based Malt-O-Meal has changed its name to MOM Brands.
Malt-O-Meal which has been making cereal for almost a century, manufactures private label brands for a multitude of grocery retailers (as well as their own lines of hot and cold cereal and oatmeal) and today stands as one of the nation’s leading cereal producers. While it appears that the Malt-O-Meal hot wheat cereal and cold cereal will still be branded under the Malt-O-Meal name, Malt-O-Meal’s other breakfast cereal products will now be produced under the MOM Brands corporate name. Press releases cite the name change as a reflection of MOM’s growth past its humble Malt-O-Meal hot cereal product to an extensive line of both hot and cold cereal products. 
MOM’s decision follows in the footsteps of various companies that have opted to drop their elongated name for an acronym. These include 3M (previously Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company), AT&T (previously American Telephone and Telegraph Corporation), and BP (previously British Petroleum).
MOM’s decision takes advantage of the convenient fact that its acronym plays on the word “Mom” and all the emotions and trust that come from a reference to mothers everywhere. Surprisingly, MOM’s newly designed mark appears to cut ties with its old design almost completely, shedding the well-known red label for a new blue background, and its thin stick-like text for a large bubbly font. The only similarity remaining is the inclusion of a sun design, however, the designs are, in my opinion, far from similar.
What do you think of MOM’s new look?
(Our thanks to Kelsey O’Rourke for additional information on MOM Brands)