Branders out of control

Posted on March 8, 2006 by Gene

First, there was Cellular One. Then they changed the name to Cingular. Then, they absorbed AT&T Wireless, which became Cingular.
And now?
Yes, Cingular is going to change it’s name. To AT&T Wireless.
You see, the branding professionals have made the momentous decision to bring back the AT&T name in a big way, hoping to feed off of more than a hundred years’ equity in that name. The big problem is that AT&T is no longer that company, and the millions of people who use Cingular (or SBC, which just rebranded itself AT&T) have no clue about the history of AT&T. These customers don’t remember the era of AT&T, they don’t remember life before the Bell breakup. They probably have no idea what AT&T stands for.
So while this change might reassure your grandmother when she reaches for a mobile phone — a long shot in and of it self — to the rest of the nation, it seems like the dumping of a forward-looking name and brand for an old, stodgy one.
Well done, guys.