Above-average number of name changes on social networks

This is the conclusion of the latest naming analysis by the Düsseldorf naming agency Noun International. "The frequency of renaming compared to other sectors shows," says Nomen CEO Sybille Kircher, "that digital naming is often not geared towards the long term. However, in the online sector in particular, brand names have to fulfill many requirements and should therefore be developed with more foresight. "The success of social networks depends on many factors. One of these is the name - if it is too inconspicuous, the brand cannot develop sufficient clout. To prove this thesis, Nomen analyzed the names of the 235 social media channels relevant to Germany in January 2017 (basis: ethority Social Media Prism). All providers were asked whether they had changed their name, why they did so and whether the new name was able to sharpen their brand profile. The associated slogan and wording were also examined. The result: compared to other sectors, an above-average number of names were changed, often for marketing reasons, and with success. Overall, the new names are more distinctive and easier to remember.Brand name as a marketing toolOf the 235 social media channels analyzed, 41 have already changed their name. Of these name changes, 33 percent were made for marketing reasons, 29 percent in the course of a new product launch and 15 percent as a result of mergers or acquisitions. 23 percent gave no reasons. The Twitter news service was even renamed twice - it was first called "Status" and later "Twttr". Half of the world's 23 largest communities with over 100 million registered users even changed their name, for example:

• facebook (formerly: thefacebook)
• Instagram (formerly: Burbn)
• Twitter (formerly: Status, later: twittr)
• Skype (formerly: Skyper)
• Snapchat (formerly: Picaboo)

Examples of frequently used, renamed platforms in Germany are:

• Xing (formerly: Open BC)
• Lovescout24 (formerly: Friendscout24)
• iTunes (formerly: SoundJam MP)

What name changes bringThe brands pursued different naming strategies through the rebranding. For example, some of them chose a more open name in terms of content (e.g. Xing instead of Open BC for "open business contacts") with a view to future service expansions. Others, on the other hand, have tailored the name more closely to their brand positioning in order to emphasize the benefits of the offering more clearly for the target group (e.g. Instagram instead of Burbn, Photobucket instead of Ontela). For some name changes, the pronunciation was simplified to make communication via the platform easier and more fluid (e.g. facebook instead of thefacebook, Wikia instead of Wikicities). In the course of company acquisitions, some name changes offered the opportunity to integrate the new name into an existing naming system in order to raise the profile of the umbrella brand in the competitive environment. Examples of this are iTunes instead of SoundJam MP, Google Photo instead of Picasa or Google Analytics instead of Urdin Tracking Monitor.Own wording enhances the brandOnly a few of the renamed networks still have a purely descriptive name, such as LinkedIn or WeChat. Most have a catchy name that works due to its imagery (Twitter = twittering), associative wordplay - such as "Snapchat", a combination of "snapshot" and "chat" - or an attractive sound (e.g. Skype). "Many successful names in the social media sector have established themselves in everyday language and have become an expression of a mobile lifestyle," reports brand expert Sybille Kircher. "In contrast to other brands, however, only a few of them work with slogans or claims, but with their own wording." Alongside Google with "google" and Facebook with "like" and "share", the news service Twitter is a trendsetter for brand language. With its "tweets", "retweets" and "hashtags", it has been able to develop an unmistakable linguistic profile.