Hw cn brnds sty cl? Nt by drpping vwls, one in every of Britain’s largest funding corporations concluded this week, when it introduced it was including again the “e’s” to its title 4 years after dropping them.
The 200-year-old firm is now referred to as aberdeen group, successfully reversing a choice to rebrand as abrdn in 2021 in a bid to pitch itself as a “trendy, agile, digitally-enabled model.”
The choice 4 years in the past was extensively ridiculed. James Windsor, who took over as chief government final 12 months, mentioned on Tuesday that it was time to “take away distractions” — lower than two months after saying he had no plans to vary the title.
Company rebrands may be important to signifying a method shift however additionally they include dangers when firms veer too removed from their function. Aberdeen’s vowel-dropping rebrand was simply the most recent instance of an organization reversing course after a brand new title didn’t carry its efficiency or its fame with prospects.
The Perils of Chasing Developments
Eradicating vowels from model names or utilizing a reputation with a intentionally misspelled phrase was not unusual within the 2000s, particularly amongst fashionable know-how firms. Companies together with Grindr, Flickr, Tumblr and even twttr, as Twitter (now X) was initially referred to as, embraced the aesthetic. However at this time, that fashion can look outdated and embarrassing, mentioned Laura Bailey, a senior lecturer in linguistics on the College of Kent.
Usually, when firms attempt to seem fashionable, “by the point they get to it, it’s been round for too lengthy,” Dr. Bailey mentioned. “It’s like your mother and father doing it — it doesn’t appear proper.”
In the case of monetary firms, she added, one other facet to contemplate is: Do these companies wish to be cool, or ought to they go for a reputation that initiatives safety and duty?
A Historical past of Rebranding Misses (and Some Hits)
Over time, there have been a number of failed rebranding efforts. In 2009, PepsiCo U-turned lower than two months after Tropicana, its juice model on the time, launched new packaging that featured a glass of orange juice as a substitute of its well-known orange with a straw poking out of it. Offended prospects described the brand new look as “ugly” and resembling “a generic discount model.”
A 12 months later, Gap took even much less time to reverse course after unveiling a extensively panned new brand for its shops that dropped the well-known white lettering on a blue background that the model had used for many years. The retailer took a couple of week to return to its authentic rendering. “OK,” the corporate mentioned in an announcement. “We’ve heard loud and clear that you simply don’t like the brand new brand.”
Britain’s Put up Workplace in 2001 was extensively mocked when it renamed itself Consignia. The chairman, Neville Bain, mentioned on the time that the brand new title would mirror that the workplace delivered far more than mail. Consignia lasted for a couple of 12 months earlier than the Put up Workplace title was restored.
Some company rebrands have been efficient. In 2012, Kraft Meals selected Mondelez International as the brand new title for its snacking enterprise — which incorporates manufacturers reminiscent of Oreos and Philadelphia cream cheese — from almost 2,000 names advised by staff. “Mondelez” was an invented phrase that mixed “monde,” the French phrase for “world,” and “delez,” a made-up phrase meant to recommend “scrumptious.” So, “scrumptious world.”
In 2001, Andersen Consulting grew to become Accenture after splitting from Arthur Andersen, the accounting agency. The brand new title was chosen from 5,500 choices, which had been whittled all the way down to 500 after which 10 earlier than the agency ultimately went with Accenture “as a result of it implies accent on the longer term,” The New York Occasions reported on the time. Regardless of some skepticism, the model has endured and the corporate has grown right into a consulting behemoth with a inventory market capitalization of about $215 billion.
Are Lowercase Letters a Good Factor?
Aberdeen has not utterly gone again to its authentic title, selecting to maintain its brand all lowercase. That places it consistent with a development of youngsters not utilizing capital letters when texting, Dr. Bailey famous.
“It appears extra pleasant, or nicer,” she mentioned, including that firms generally attempt to change their names to be extra casual to mission a private picture, somewhat than that of an enormous company. Nonetheless, they threat setting themselves up for an additional situation by which their title will look outdated in a 12 months, she added.
