“What’s in a name?”, Shakespear had said. Well, given in the world of business the answer to that is “Everything”.
Amongst the many factors that contribute to a brand’s success, brand name plays a pivotal role in the branding of the company and determining its success. Not only does a brand name play an important aspect in marketing but also in terms of communication with the target audience by creating a recall value for itself.
While there are a bunch of characteristics that need to be taken into consideration while choosing a brand name for the company, it all and all should be unique, easy, attractive and not controversial which is exactly why many renowned brands have changed their names from what was their name at the initial stage.
Here’s a list of brands that were renamed:
1. Google
Google was initially “BackRub” back in 1996 before Larry Page and Serge Brin decided on Google in 1998. We can’t even imagine BackRubing can we?
2. Instagram
Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger when first created their location-based iPhone app, it went by the name of “Burbn”. But when they realised that the most popular part of the app was the photo sharing they developed a new look for the app and named it Instagram.
3. Nike
The global sports brand Nike was earlier called “Blue Ribbon Sports” back in the 60’s when they operated as a distributor for the Japanese shoemaker Onitsuka Tiger. The company later took on the name Nike – after the Greek goddess of victory.
4. Apple Inc.
Founded in 1976 Steve Jobs, Ronald Wayne and Steve Wozniak, the company was called “Apple Computers” but once they started manufacturing a range of products Jobs in 2007 announced that the company was dropping the word ‘computer’ and said, “The Mac, iPod, Apple TV and iPhone. Only one of those is a computer. So we’re changing the name.”
5. Pepsi-Cola
When North Carolina pharmacist named Caleb Bradham started experimenting with a few soft drink recipes back on 1893, he created a mix of sugar, water, caramel, lemon oil, nutmeg, and other natural additives that became hugely popular. But five years later, “Brad’s Drink” was renamed to Pepsi-Cola and would become one of the world’s most recognized brands.
The latest to join the name chasing bandwagon is Kim Kardashian West who announced that her shape wear brand would now be named SKIMS Solutions. The line was earlier called Kimono during which faced backlash with many saying the name disrespected Japanese culture.
