CatchThis Blog / Rename

The gammadion cross is an ancient religious symbol that Hindus and Buddhists have considered sacred and auspicious since the second century B.C. A plus sign with its four legs bent at 90 degrees, the cross is known better by a different name–the swastika. With some pretty far-reaching marketing, Nazi Germany effectively destroyed any peaceful, auspicious associations with […]

In the wake of a long bout of family brand therapy, they just decided to abandon the family. Yes, after 3,000 name candidates and 1,200 focus group testers, ABC Family has arrived at its new name – Freeform. ABC Family has come a long way. It first launched in 1961 as the Christian Broadcasting Network, […]

Get off your meditation cushion because Zen is out. Well, a small piece of it anyway. Last week, payroll startup ZenPayroll changed its name to Gusto as it plans to move beyond payroll, into benefits such as health insurance and workers’ compensation. But don’t confuse your chakras, the unicorn-status, HR benefits company Zenefits is keeping […]

“More and more technology needs to be invisible,” says Alastair Curtis, chief design officer of Logitech, “with that recognition, technology is becoming knitted into the everyday fabric of our lives, and it just felt natural to actually mirror that with our name.” It’s a compelling pitch for Logitech’s rebrand as Logi, which has already started […]

Hats off to Caitlyn Jenner. Her courage to share her transition with the public marks an important step towards equality for trans individuals everywhere. Cailtyn’s cover shot on Vanity Fair shows us that trans is beautiful, that we all have the freedom to define our own identity. While Bruce Jenner confirmed the gender transition during […]

Last month, after almost 3 years of hemorrhaging money, RadioShack filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Facing growing irrelevancy in the electronics scene, RadioShack spent the last two decades desperately trying to rebrand itself. They started calling themselves The Shack, rearranged the layout of stores, offered new products, but none of it really seemed to make […]

Perhaps the world’s most ambitious, harebrained, unthinkable, just-so-crazy-it-might-explode rebrand ever is occurring right now in Russia. The Avtomat Kalashnikova in its various forms, most notably the AK-47, will soon be known as the Kalashnikov Concern. That’s right—the Kalashnikov Company would henceforth like to be known as an ambassador of “peace and calm” and be, as […]

Quick: What do Gucci, Yves St. Laurent, Balenciaga, Puma and Bottega Venetta have in common? If you’ve been following the marketing news, you’ll know that they’re all subsidiaries of the French holding company formerly known as PPR (an initialism for Pinault-Printemps-Redoute), which was recently renamed Kering (pronounced “caring”). The rename was triggered when the company […]

Well then, what to make of this mess in New Jersey? Once upon a time there was a mall called Xanadu. Now, the dictionary says that Xanadu is a “…place of great beauty, luxury and contentment…” But ladies and gentlemen, what we have nine miles west of Manhattan is much further away from any version […]