Brand Value is one of the most important factors of ensuring the deep-rooted success of any company, be it a start-up or a well-established organization. The market name, the logo, the tagline, and the market plan, everything adds up to an honest and impactful brand image.
Think about it, would you ever imagine Google to be anything but Google? Or Nike to exist without the tagline ‘Just do it’?
Well, this the story behind many re-branding campaigns by major companies, in an effort to improve the brand value and make the brand memorable among customers:
1) Burbn –> Instagram
It might come as a surprise; Instagram was earlier called Burbn as named by founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger. The app, in general, saw failure due to its features and lack of modern ideology, allowing founders to shake things a little, including the brand name.
2) Confinity –> PayPal
PayPal is one major contributor and part of the digital payment revolution across the globe. It was earlier called ‘Confinity’ and was finally renamed after a merger with Elon Musk’s venture called X.com. A successful name change indeed.
3) Foodiebay –> Zomato
In 2010, a food directory website called ‘Foodiebay’ was launched. Two years later, it was renamed ‘Zomato’ and it is now the top runners among the foodtech unicorns. It recently even purchased UberEATS to strengthen its presence in the industry.
4) BackRub –> Google
Google was earlier called ‘BackRub’ during its earliest days in 1996. It was rebranded as Google in 1998 after founders realized that their wordplay wasn’t sitting well with the crowd.
5) Odeo –> Twitter
Twitter wasn’t a microblogging website and app during its first run, infact it was a podcast platform called ‘Odeo’. However, thankfully, founders took the smart decision to change it into a ‘tweet’ platform after Apple iTunes took over the podcast industry.
6) Relentless –> Amazon
Did you know Amazon was earlier called Relentless? Relentless was a simple online bookstore launched by Jeff Bezos in 1996, proving how expansion, change, and efforts can make things go big. Amazon is now the e-commerce giant that dominates over its competitors across the nation.
7) UrbanClap –> Urban Company
UrbanClap has had a tremendous funding and growth record, expanding to new services and subsets. However, at the beginning of 2020, it decided to go global and rebranded itself as Urban Company. Only time will tell if this would work out or not.
8) Jerry’s Guide To The World Wide Web –> Yahoo
Yahoo was earlier called ‘Jerry’s guide to the World Wide Web’ back when it was launched as the first search engine and a direct competitor to Google. Due to the lengthy name and lack of enthusiasm in it, it was shortened to ‘Yahoo!’
9) AuctionWeb –> eBay
eBay is a well-reputed auction site that works around an open marketplace system. However, in 1995, it was founded as AuctionWeb and later renamed to eBay which was comparatively much cooler and captivating.
10) Matchbox –> Tinder
Tinder entered Indian markets in 2016 and is recently facing tough competition from apps like Bumble. However, it was earlier called ‘MatchBox’ due to its digital dating features.
Well, these brands are proof that certainly the name a lot to do with the brand’s success!
Article Source: INC42
