One of the 9 major reasons that companies change their names, which Strategic Name Development’s proprietary Company Naming Changes research uncovered, is that a company’s focus often evolves over time and their name no longer reflects their original focus.
Some recent examples of these types of name changes from 2007 include:
* Fiat SpA to Fiat Group Automobiles SpA, to emphasize the importance of their automobile focus
* Virgin Mobile USA to Virgin Media, to broaden their geographic focus
* Casio, Inc. to Casio America, Inc. to reinforce their US emphasis
* YP Corporation, of the Yellow Pages brand, to LiveDeal, Inc., to expand their online offerings and not limit themselves to the print version of the Yellow Pages
Businesses change their focus as the result of expanding or narrowing their interests, and it is often necessary to change the company name as those interests change.
Strategic Name Development’s proprietary Company Naming Changes research studied all U.S. company naming changes in 2006 and into this year and found numerous examples of these types of naming changes.
Companies such as these change their names for a variety of reasons. Strategic Name Development’s proprietary Company Naming Changes report identified several different types and numerous examples of these name changes.
* Outback Steak House to OSI Restaurant Partners, Inc.
* Rocky Shoes and Boots, Inc. to Rocky Brands
* AllStar Systems to I-Sector Corp
* PanAmerican Bancorps to Sun American Bancorp
For more information on Strategic Name Development’s proprietary Company Naming Changes research findings, please visit our blog at www.namedevelopment.com/blog/archives/2007/08/brand_naming_an_1.html.
About Strategic Name Development, Inc.
Strategic Name Development, Inc. partners with companies to develop product names, company names, taglines and conduct brand name research. The naming company combines the three forces of linguistics, creativity and target market research to build brand names that are instantly recognizable, memorable and strategically sound. Utilizing its proprietary Name DNA Validation™ research methodology the company is able to measure emotional bonding power, memorability, latent association, fit to concept, pronunciation and sound symbolism.
Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Strategic Name Development has worked with clients from top companies around the globe. For more information about Strategic Name Development, visit www.namedevelopment.com.