Online discount store Temu has changed its name - and people aren't happy about it
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Discount online shopping platform Temu has changed its name just one year after smashing onto the Australian retail landscape.
Speaking to FEMAIL, a company spokesperson revealed they have changed the pronunciation of the brand to 'Teh-mu' despite hard-launching the original pronunciation 'Tee-mu' with a US$7million (AUD$10.59million) ad during the 2023 Superbowl.
'As Temu continues to expand into new markets globally, we want to ensure our brand name has a consistent and memorable presentation across different regions and languages,' the spokesperson said.
'After careful consideration, we determined that the new pronunciation achieves this goal better.'
The original Superbowl ad features a woman spinning around, showing off her Temu purchases to the tune of 'I like it, it's mine, the prices blow my mind'.
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The new advertisement, which is animated, features a catchy song about 'shopping like a billionaire' and the new pronunciation of the brand name.
Fans of the online retailer, which launched in the US in 2022 before heading to Australia and New Zealand - and later Europe - were quick to notice the change.
And happy to comment on the old video after heading back to 'see if they were right'.
'I KNEW the pronunciation of tee-moo was changed!!! Now it's teh-moo, and it doesn't sound so fun anymore,' one woman said.
'Watching both commercials back to back is like traveling to a different alternate universe,' laughed another.
'So I'm not the only one who searched for this! Good. We're not crazy,' a third added.
Others dismiss the new pronunciation.
Discount online shopping platform Temu has changed its name just one year after smashing onto the Australian retail landscape
'No matter what I'll always pronounce Temu like tee-moo,' one shopper said.
The new advertisement was played four times during the 2024 Superbowl - costing an estimated US$28million (AUD $42.34million).
But according to Choice - The Australian shopping watchdog - this is just pocket change for the Chinese-owned company.
About 1.26 million Australians shop on Temu each month and are on track to spend a combined $1.3billion this year alone.
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The company's success has been credited to their aggressive marketing campaigns, 'gamification' of the shopping experience and 'impossible to beat' prices.
But those same features have also repelled customers with many claiming the products must be of a lesser standard, or that the company must make money by selling data.
The Temu app is now located in 50 countries - with most of the good being made in and shipped from China.
According to Temu, its low prices are possible because it connects consumers directly with the factories that produce its goods allowing it to cut out 'multiple middlemen' and deliver 'wholesale' prices.
The company says this process constitutes a 'teaming up' hence the name Temu and its original pronunciation.