When Corporate Branding Goes Wrong

The Perils of Chasing Trends Removing vowels from brand names or using a name with a deliberately misspelled word was not uncommon in the 2000s, especially among trendy technology companies. Businesses including Grindr, Flickr, Tumblr and even twttr, as Twitter (now X) was initially called, embraced the aesthetic. But today, that style can look out of date and embarrassing, said Laura Bailey, a senior lecturer in linguistics at the University of Kent. Often, when companies try to appear trendy, “by the time they get to it, it’s been around for too long,” Dr. Bailey said. “It’s like your parents doing it — it doesn’t seem right.” When it comes to financial companies, she added, another aspect to consider is: Do these businesses want to be cool, or should they go for a name that projects security and responsibility? A History of Rebranding Misses (and Some Hits) Over the years, there have been several failed rebranding efforts. In 2009, PepsiCo U-turned less than two months after Tr ... Read full article.