Can a name change affect the marketing, positioning and awareness
of a company or product? Here are some famous examples that illustrate
the power of a name change.
Original
Name
|
|
Present
Name
|
|
Backrub
|
|
Google
|
|
AuctionWeb
|
|
EBay |
|
Bridge
Gate Computers
|
|
Compaq
(on insistence of Ben Rosen. one of first
investors, NameLab was called in)
|
|
AT&T
GIS
|
|
NCR
(back to their original name) |
|
Diet
Deluxe
|
|
Healthy
Choice
(new name, new packaging, same recipes...the
rest is history) |
|
i586
|
|
Pentium |
|
Anderson
Consulting
|
|
Accenture
(name change required by "divorce"
- in hindsight magic after Anderson Accounting's scandals)
|
|
Price
Waterhouse Coopers
|
|
Bearing
Point |
|
Oak
(Software)
and Green before that!
|
|
Java |
|
Tokyo
Electron Corp.
|
|
Sony
(when the product became more famous than the
parent) |
|
World
Communications
|
|
MCI
(back to its original name) |
|
Oak
(Software)
|
|
Java |
|
Sound
Around
|
|
Walkman |
|
Cellular
One (and others)
|
|
Cingular |
|
Mosaic
Systems
|
|
Netscape |
|
Marafuku
|
|
Nintendo |
|
RadarOven
|
|
Microwave |
|
Wards
|
|
Circuit
City |
|
ActiveTouch
|
|
Webex |
|
DrivUrSelf
|
|
Hertz
Rent-A-Car |
|
The
Mining Co.
|
|
About.com |
|
International
Harvester
|
|
Navistar |
|
Tricord
(and before that Pepsi)
|
|
Yum!
Brands (holding co. for KFC, Taco Bell, Round
Table Pizza, A&W, Long John Silver, etc.) |
|
Blue
Ribbon Sports
|
|
Nike |
|
Stag
Party
|
|
Playboy |
|
Firebird
|
|
Firefox
(browser) |
Test
your naming knowledge right here - and send us others you may
know about.
|
|
