on the subject of things mildly amusing, i came across this website on branding – stuff that was relevant once upon a time. Anyways, according to them, of the best and worst designed logos of 2009, the 3rd worst identity award goes to:
any guesses?
bwahahaha… the website says:
(…) In an effort to improve public perception, Blackwater has changed its name to Xe (pronounced ZEE). Organizations that change their name usually do so to “better define” what they do, or to “clarify” a shift in services, and this is often in tandem with a repositioning of services or a shift in core competencies.
Anne Tyrrell, a spokeswoman for Blackwater, explained that the company was changing its name because “the idea is to define the company as what it is today and not what it used to be.”
When asked about the name change, Robert Passikoff, president of the New York marketing research firm Brand Keys, Inc. offered this: “There’s an old saying about brands: ‘When you can’t change the product, you change the packaging,’” he said. “It’s common for companies to rename in an effort to distance themselves from bad publicity, but in Blackwater’s case, things have gotten so bad that the company had little choice but dump the brand.”
Tyrrell disagrees. She countered that Blackwater’s past was only one of several factors involved in the decision. “The company leaders came up with and considered several new names,” she said. “Xe had the best potential for brand identity but has no special meaning,” she added.
it’s cool that a mercenary army would need a brand – and a re-branding exercise.
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Best attempt at rebranding, ever.
i concurr!
i also think the US government should use the same marketing agency, and maybe rebrand itself. give itself a new name and logo (flag).
who knows…