Everyone knows that corporate rebranding costs a bundle. So it makes no sense in this climate of economic crisis and budget cuts and staff layoffs that NBC Universal would waste money like this. Yet already put-upon GE shareholders are being Jeff Zuckered yet again. Stuart Elliott’s always interesting advertising column in The New York Times reports that the Sci Fi Channel and its website today will introduce its new name of ”Syfy” and its plain vanilla logo and lame new slogan “Imagine Greater”, effective as of July 7th. Adding to the idiocy is that there’s already a company called SyFi Global, an information technology company. Arguing that the name “Sci Fi” was so generic it could not be trademarked, the channel’s rebranding campaign ”seeks to distinguish the channel and its programming from cable competitors.” Both Bonnie Hammer and Dave Howe over the years actually sat though many meetings where a name change was debated. The corporate and brand identity consultancy Landor Associates as well as two London marketing agencies were hired at what I’m sure was great expense. Meanwhile, Sci Fi Channel’s programming mostly really Zucks.

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