Question

Topic: Branding

Integrating 2 Different Product Names

Posted by Anonymous on 1/28/2009 at 12:56 PM ET 250 Points
I work for a technology company that is traditionally B to B. We have spent 2 years promoting a product name for our 2 different business audiences. The product name is SceneExchange, our audiences are insurance companies and collision repair shops. It is an online service to manage your car repair after an accident, with a feedback component like eBay.

Now we are rolling out the consumer leg of the product and want to do it under the name Repair Buddy. The problem is that the three groups may talk to each other so two groups would know it as SceneExchange and one would know it as Repair Buddy. What is the best way to handle rolling out the fact that there is now a consumer name that the B to B clients will begin to hear?

I am outvoted by management on dropping the SceneExchange name and rolling out Repair Buddy to all groups because of the name recognition we already have.
To continue reading this question and the solution, sign up ... it's free!
SUBSCRIBE
Or, SIGN IN

RESPONSES

  • Posted by Paul Kemper on 1/28/2009 at 1:17 PM Accepted
    This is a classical brand strategy dilemma. I would suggest to keep using SceneExchange for your BtB audience and go with RepairBuddy for your new audience. To carry over some brand value from your BtB customers to your BtC customers, you could name the BtC product 'RepairBuddy SceneExchange' and take a year to see what your three audiences do with the name.
  • Posted on 1/28/2009 at 4:36 PM Accepted
    Paul's suggestion is a good one, given the constraint you describe. You might also look at a short-term communication effort against the B2B audience(s) in which you pick up the Repair Buddy name/logo and begin to make the link between RB and SE.

    I think there's less reason to try to convince your B2C audience that SE means something than the other way around.
  • Posted by SteveByrneMarketing on 1/30/2009 at 4:48 PM Member
    What does SceneExchange mean? To your Audience as well?

    What is the story behind it?

    It might help us in considering your options.

    Steve
  • Posted on 2/2/2009 at 9:01 AM Author
    Thanks everyone for your comments on this topic. Let me take a quick second to answer Steve's questions above.

    SceneExchange was a name developed before I came onboard. Every product name until I arrived is called Scene"Something". The exchange part, I think, came from the exchange of data going on--but I'm not sure.

    For one of our audiences, the Scene"Something" names have been around for up to ten years, so they have some equity. Although SceneExchange has only been around for about a year.

    It is brand new for the collision shops and the consumers.
  • Posted on 2/3/2009 at 9:45 AM Author
    I appreciate all of your responses. Although it isn't final yet, we will be moving ahead with a version of Repair Buddy driven by SceneExchange on the consumer side and using the coming year to educate the B to B side on the Repair Buddy name while still using SE (at least in the near future).
BACK TO TOP

Post a Comment

Related Discussions

Community Info

Top 25 Experts
(Branding)