Renaming: a wild ride.
What happens when a French-owned gas and electricity company gets the naming rights to a popular London tourist attraction? Brits start tweeting their rejection of the name change, while one user (@ItsPaulWallace) reminds people to assert their freedom of speech — “People who are up in arms about the London Eye being renamed the EDF Energy London Eye do know they can still call it anything they want, right?”
The big rebranding news item of the week is the new pared down Starbucks logo, with just one color and no frills, the familiar siren of brew swims forth without the name “Starbucks Coffee” in her logo.
Cuba’s government-owned tobacco company, known around the world for its shops named “La Casa del Habano” is suing a Detroit cigar shop for using the name “La Casa de la Habana.” I guess when it comes to cigars, “God’s gift to the Cubans” according to the Detroit shop’s owner, mi casa is not necessarily su casa.
An 11-year-old resident of New Jersey will face a judge for writing her name in cement.
The name of the defunct Aloha Airlines recently sold to its former majority shareholder for 1.5 million. Good thing Aloha means hello and goodbye.
Sri Lanka’s government plans to remove all references to the British colonial name Ceylon. The island has been known by many names throughout its time – Taprobane, Serendib, and Ceilao to name a few.
We’re no strangers to legal battles over names and images in the branding world, but it still seems strange that Jeff Koons is suing the small San Francisco retail store and art gallery Park Life for selling balloon animal bookends that resemble Koons’ fiberglass sculptures. I mean, really?!
