Shack Shack Bo Back
Banana-fana fo fack
Fee-fi-mo-mack…

The Shack?

As most might have heard by now, RadioShack is rolling out it’s new name as, simply put, The Shack. When I first heard this (without seeing the spelling) I thought to myself “Did NBA star Shaquille O’Neil buy out their chain?” Apparently he did not. CMO of RadioShack commented that  “ [we are] contemporizing the way we want people to think about our brand.” As to say that no one buys radios anymore unless they transmit music from satellites in outer space, offer thousands of stations, are portable, digital and you need to pay a monthly subscription fee to listen to one.

The need to be relevant is one of the many reasons businesses choose to change their names. Others include the need to disassociate the brand from bad press or publicity (i.e. Philip Morris is now known as Altria). Another reason is to expand their brand associations (i.e. Kentucky Fried Chicken changed to KFC because they wanted their customers to know they offered more than just fried chicken). And yet another reason is because the original name is just plain terrible (i.e. BackRub was Google’s initial search engine name).

BackRub? Really!?

Yes. Really.

Corporate renaming is a tricky business and one that should be carefully considered before forging ahead. Many hesitate to change logos (see next week’s blog post about this topic), never mind an entire name identity. If done poorly, a name change could be a nail on the coffin that sends a business into the graveyard of “Oh, what was that place called again?”

However, to those ready for a change, Bullpen Marketing has the professional and tactful skills for corporate renaming. We can handle your needs with a sensitive touch being mindful of all the potential pitfalls knowing that timing and strategy are everything. If you’re ready for a name change or would like to just freshen up your brand, give us a call at 713.652.2030.

Tags: Brand

You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.