Corporate Renaming: Rebranding or abandoning ship?


The Chicago Tribune had an interesting article today about corporate renaming as a rebranding strategy. With the global market changing rapidly every year, many companies find themselves struggling to stay relevant. Some companies figure that a name change into something that would fit more into the times – perhaps a hipper name – would help keep the company’s image fresh and intact. A company to soon hop on the renaming bandwagon is RadioShack, who wants to shorten their name to simply, The Shack.

There are many reasons behind a company’s decision in conducting a name change – much of it comes from a company’s attempt to rebrand itself in a fast-changing market in order to still make itself relevant and to have a chance to compete in the expanding market. For example, losing the “Radio” in RadioShack poses little loss for them, as purchasing radios are a thing of the past. Also, in an abbreviated driven culture like today thanks to texting and Twittering, The Shack seems to be a more appealing name and keeps things short and sweet.

Still, some argue that a name change signals a change in company motives and direction, therefore consider it almost an insult to the legacy of the company - young or old. Yet this argument is a bit weak as it would be may not be smart for a company to associate with an old name should they completely revamp the overall outlook of the company. Sometimes, it's just better to start fresh and with a clean slate. 

Other companies that also went through or are considering corporate renaming are:

  • Kentucky Fried Chicken (Now KFC)
  • Pizza Hut (planning to change their name to The Hut)
  • Cingular (became AT&T after Cingular acquired the old AT&T wireless and decided to rebrand under AT&T)
  • Datsun (acquired by Nissan in 1986 and was rebranded under it)
  • BackRub (changed to Google in 1998 – today's #1 most visited site on the web)

-Sabina for AMP3 Public Relations

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

If FDA Says Cheerios is a Drug then I must be an Addict

Image
The FDA is going after General Mills for claiming that Cheerios is "clinically proven to lower cholesterol" without getting approved as a new drug. In a letter to General Mills, the FDA says that the labeling on the Cheerios boxes is "in serious violation" of federal rules and that Cheerios, " may not be legally marketed with the above claims in the United States without an approved new drug application." The letter further states, "Based on claims made on your product’s label, we have determined that your Cheerios® Toasted Whole Grain Oat Cereal is promoted for conditions that cause it to be a drug because the product is intended for use in the prevention, mitigation, and treatment of disease." The Cheerios box states the following : "Did you know that in just 6 weeks Cheerios can reduce bad cholesterol by an average of 4 percent? Cheerios is the only leading cold cereal clinically proven to lower cholesterol. A clinical study showed that ...
Read more

Vogue: Huge Hollywood Stars Without a Cover

Image
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are on the cover of the April issue of Vogue. Their photo on the largest U.S fashion magazine created quite a stir on social media when the cover photo was released over the weekend.  Many Vogue readers were upset at the choice of West and Kardashian on the cover and I began researching high profile celebrities that have never been on the cover. There have been many actresses, singers and models that you won’t believe haven’t made the cut! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Amy Adams: This gorgeous lady has had an amazing year in movie roles.  She gave a performance of a lifetime in American Hustle, where she wore some beautiful low-cut gowns for her character, Sydney Prosser.  We would love to see her on a cover! 2. Miranda Kerr: It’s hard to believe this famous model has never graced a cover, but it is true.  She has been many magazines for her belove...
Read more

America So Hot Right Now America

Image
Most will know the title of this post is Reminiscent of our beloved Mugatu 's immortal words, "Hansel... So Hot right now... Hansel." Barack and Michelle Obama have been welcomed everywhere they've been so far in this European tour. The Public Relations face lift for America that most expected to get when they elected Obama is happening right before our eyes. America 's allie's citizens seem relieved that it looks like the US wants to cooperate with the rest of the world, after 8 long years of destructive and stupid Cowboy talk. Technological advances in telecommunications and travel have made the world a much smaller place. It is essential, now more than ever that the world figures out how to work together proper. That is what Barack Obama seems to be reflecting to us at home and the rest of the world. How much easier will it be to have Russia and China as actual allies instead of Frenemies. They might handle North Korea instead of us and the Russians migh...
Read more