Piercing Pagoda, the jewellery chain with kiosks in hundreds of mall hallways across the U.S., has gotten a name change and rebranded in August 2021. In an effort to connect with a larger customer base and highlight its innovations, the company chose the name Banter by Piercing Pagoda.

We are able to retain a name that our current customers know and trust while also evolving the brand with Banter to attract new customers.

Kecia Caffie, president of Banter by Piercing Pagoda

The original Piercing Pagoda name was selected in honour of Bethlehem’s Japanese sister city, Tondabayashi, and inspired by the architecture of the Plymouth Meeting Mall, which reminded Cohen of a pagoda.

Although Pagoda means something to the company, it doesn’t mean as much to its customers, who focus on the first word in its name: Piercing. Considering the company has fine jewellery offerings that include gold, silver and diamonds, the word “Piercing” is certainly something that confused the target audience of this brand.

We saw the name limiting. It suggested that’s all we did. In research, we found it wasn’t fresh nor vibrant. Consumers said it didn’t reflect the wide range of fine jewelry we carry. They were confused about why we had the name.

Kecia Caffie, president of Banter by Piercing Pagoda

The company, which also owns mall stalwarts Kay Jewelers, Jared and Zales, is ramping up its e-commerce capabilities and repositioning where its stores are located. With a new name, a fresh look to its stores and website, and expanded product and service offerings, Piercing Pagoda also wanted to ensure a strong online presence. The company acquired the domain name Banter.com from IBM, which is currently redirecting to Pagoda․com.

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We hope the above information will help you in making informed decisions about your brand. If you want to say hi or have any questions about naming, branding, and domain names, get in touch, we’re always happy to hear from you.

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