stay tuned

You may have caught the announcement a couple weeks ago that NBC's cable network SciFi is changing its name to Syfy. Similar to many networks, they have found a need to try to broaden their audience in order to gain ratings and in doing so have decided to (somewhat arguably) abandon their core image. It's a story that goes back as far as MTV - remember when it stood for Music Television? This is an interesting case though, because the core science fiction audience is a fairly devoted one and the announcement of the name change has brought no shortage of uproar. Its also a time when interactivity is playing a role in branding decisions, as shown recently by Tropicana's decision to drop its recent rebrand and go back to their old logo and packaging after only weeks in the marketplace. I noticed a blurb on Brand New today that added an interesting wrinkle to the Syfy saga. Landor, a giant in branding known for some great work (think bp) as well as their share of truly awful work (think Pizza Hut), posted a blog entry on their website distancing themselves from the new name, explaining that while they were a part of the rebranding project, they weren't responsible for the new name. Brand New's Armin Vit notes "It’s rare that a large branding firm can go on the record after the fact, so this is an interesting turn of events." Its going to be interesting to see what happens with this one.

Landor Blog: What you've been wondering about Landor and Syfy