Question

Topic: Branding

Abbreviated Brand Names

Posted by Anonymous on 3/16/2009 at 4:00 PM ET 500 Points
I'm looking for examples of brands where the company uses an abbreviated form of the official company name in the promotion of it's products. Example:

Coca Cola -- Coke
Harley-Davidson -- Harley

Ideally, the latter example is preferred, where nothing changes but a shortening of the name. I am looking for arguments that this does not violate the brand, per se, but simplifies it in order to expedite recognition or specifically expand the brand to other product categories; say:

Ivory Soap -- Ivory

Thanks for your assistance!


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RESPONSES

  • Posted by csustak on 3/16/2009 at 4:09 PM Member
    First and foremost, how do your customers refer to you? The American Automobile Association decided several years ago that its formal name was too formal and few consumers used it properly, so they trademarked AAA and TripleA as its sub-names. Rarely does anyone refer to us as American Automobile Association anymore, except in legal terms. It has worked well for AAA and helped in providing a clearer image in both name and masterbrand.
  • Posted by michael on 3/16/2009 at 4:38 PM Accepted
    Jeff,
    All the airlines do it

    United Airlines United
    American Airlines American

    Whether it hurts any remaining brand remains to be seen.

    Michael
  • Posted by SteveByrneMarketing on 3/17/2009 at 1:27 AM Member
    Professional service firms always get shortened in usage by the professionals referring to them:

    Price (or PWC) for Price Waterhouse Coopers

    Skadden for Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom

    Even firms already shortened to two names will be shorten to a single word, for example:

    Latham for Latham & Watkin

    Martindale for Martindale-Hubbell (even the domain is martindale.com)

    Rule of thumb - Shorten to two words or shorten to single word and sometimes just initials.

    And yes, the customers usage is good for branding, don't fight a tidal wave.
  • Posted by saul.dobney on 3/17/2009 at 5:58 AM Accepted
    Rarely is the official legal name of a business the same as a brand name. Apple was Apple Computers Inc, now just Apple Inc, but the brand is Apple.

    The British Broadcasting Corporation was reduced to "The BBC" which was then further reduced down to "The Beeb".

    Hewlett Packard became HP is another extreme example.

    Pan-American World Airlines became Pan Am

    Even more complex: Transcontinental and Western Air was shortened to TWA, then the main name changed to Trans World Airlines, but retaining TWA initials as an identifier.

  • Posted on 3/17/2009 at 5:59 AM Accepted
    GSK - GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
    Amex - American Express
    HDFC Bank - Housing Development Finance Corporation Ltd. It is one of top players in private banking sector in India
    General Motors - GM
    Ogilvy & Mather - O&M
    ITC - Indian Tobacco Company which has a diversified presence in Cigarettes, Hotels, Paperboards & Specialty Papers, Packaging, Agri-Business, Packaged Foods & Confectionery, Information Technology, Branded Apparel, Personal Care, Stationery, Safety Matches and other FMCG products
    D&G - Dolce & Gabbana
    P&G - Proctor & Gamble
    TNS Research agency - Taylor Nelson Sofres research agency
    ICICI Bank - Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India
    HUL - Hindustan Unilever Limited
    L&T - Larsen & Toubro Limited

    These are few of the companies I could think of from various sectors
  • Posted by kevin.shoesmith on 3/17/2009 at 10:17 AM Accepted
    Hall Brothers, Inc. (changed to Hallmark)

    The Hoover Company (simply changed to Hoover)

    FedEx (although they haven't branched into other products)

    UPS would be another example
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