BNT (Business Name Trends)

I've recently noticed a wave of changes across businesses. They've been shortening their names. One of the most prominent changes has been the infamous change of Washington Mutual to WaMu. And if you have taken a recent walk through your local mall you'll notice many others. For example Pacific Sunwear is now PacSun, and Sunglass Hut is SGH (along with a total rebrand of their stores). A long while back, Macintosh shortened its name to Mac, but now even Dairy Queen has changed it up and started marketing as DQ. What is the thinking behind this trend?

One might suggest the locations in the malls are rebranding their names to reinstate themselves in the market as "hip" and "cool". SGH's complete redesign would support that theory. They have integrated a more "modern" feel to the displays and atmosphere of their stores. Even DQ's marketing is moving in that direction. WaMu especially promotes a charge to the "hip" and "cool" target market. They've recently made a push towards college students (although, WaMu.com has been their URL for years) Is this change working?

I recently overheard an older gentlemen point towards a Pacific Sunwear location and say, "I still want to hit up the PacSun before we leave". I'm not sure that was PacSun's intentions with the name change. From what I can tell, they're still marketing towards the younger generations (high school and early college).

Could it be that the name change is simply conforming to the increasingly fast paced mindset of consumers? Information is on a path of forever increasing acceleration. Faster internet and interconnectivity at your finger tips everywhere you go - a short name would be an advantage. It seems people are always looking for a way to shorten everything. I even refer to Starbucks as SB via text (sometimes in conversation). Washington Mutual, Pacific Sunwear, Sunglass Hut are a bit of a mouthful.

Take note of this trend, it will be interesting to see where this leads businesses. Perhaps take it into consideration when name your business. If you're in the technology or web based industry a short name could very well play in your advantage. With the quick and fast paced mindsets of the consumer a long business name better roll of the tongue well.