We run across name changes every now and again and, as consumers, we don’t forget the negatives just because we call you something different. Paying homage to Comcast, and saying hello to Xfinity, Time is listing the “Top 10 Worst Corporate Name Changes.”
As already mentioned, Comcast is sneakily changing to “xfinity,” and we can’t help but share this hilarious line from the Time article: “Will the name change work? Probably not, but at least it’ll sound a bit edgier when you’re put on hold … with Xfinity. ” Edgier indeed.
When Andersen Consulting split ties with the accounting group, a name change was required. Accent turned into Accenture and cost an estimated $100 million to execute. Submitted by an employee in Oslo, this was an attempt to incorporate “accent on the future.” It actually worked well when the Enron debacle went down and destroyed the reputation of the company’s accountants, Arthur Andersen.
When the realization that “Sci Fi” couldn’t be owned because it was a genre and not a channel, the execs decided to revamp the name into something that could. Sci Fi transformed into Syfy. There is a method to the madness — we guess.
Check out Time’s article for the other 7 worst name changes.
