People love it when I trash a brand name (you guys are vicious!) and this is one that I give the thumbs down to. Check out this #tellthetruths video to see why this name just doesn’t ring my bell.
Does This Name Suck? ALTAFIBER
This video originally appeared in LinkedIn
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TRANSCRIPT:
– Hey guys, it’s Rebeca with BrandTrue, and today we’re going to talk about a brand name called Altafiber. Does this name suck? So Altafiber is actually Cincinnati Bell renamed themselves not too long ago. And they were the last of the Baby Bells to lose that part of the name.
It actually makes sense to me that they did it, because “Bell” doesn’t really bring the equity that it used to a hundred, 150 years ago. And also because their aspirations are bigger than just the Cincinnati region. It makes sense to change their name.
Apparently also a big part of their growth is tied to fiber, so that’s why they wanted fiber in the name. The problem is it just seems a little odd. So Altafiber changing their name, yes. Making it that, let’s analyze and see if we think this name sucks.
First thing, is it a Transparent communication? Well, Altafiber has fiber in it, and that’s what they’re doing, so I guess? But what’s an Alta? Not sure.
Second, is it Real? Is it somehow authentically pointing to who they are? Again, because of the fiber, I guess so, but the Alta part, it just smells of hiding things to me. Like when Philip Morris renamed themselves Altria, and we were supposed to forget that cigarettes kill people. It just doesn’t seem honest and straightforward. Maybe that’s just me.
Okay, next one is U, is it Unique? I would say it’s unique, but I would also say that there are things that are unique that I’m not excited about, like a chocolate-covered pickle. Unique is only one element of the equation.
And finally, is it Engaging? To me, it’s not. It’s not, you know, cute or funny or clever, but engaging means a lot of things. Engaging can be that there’s some way that makes it visual, so that it’s easier for you to remember it, or, you know, alliteration or rhyming that makes it easier to remember, and we’ve kind of got none of that. It’s not that easy to remember. It’s not fun. It’s not lighting you up with understanding what it is.
So I live in Cincinnati. I don’t know if my house is going to get egged, but I think this name sucks. More importantly, what do you think? Let me know. Bye!
