The idea of renaming a product to change its image in today’s world is preposterous.
Before the changes have even rolled out, every discerning consumer already knows that nothing has really changed. So when I heard that Comcast is planning on renaming its TV, Internet and telephone services as “Xfinity” while rolling out more high definition channels and better customer service, I had a laugh. Re-branding in this instance will only confuse its user base and appears as a quick and dirty cover-up for its bad reputation.
Then I read Comcast’s plans to increase per-user bandwidth speeds in certain areas to 100 megabits. Now I was interested, but still skeptical.
First off, changing the name of your products because your brand has been run so far into the ground is the same as admitting you’re wrong. And as every “cowpoke-esque” American knows, admitting someone else is right means admitting that you’re weak.
While you might trick a few consumers, the majority will be aware of the change and be apathetic to it. You’ve also got your third group, those who actually liked your services who you may now lose as they don’t even realize your company is something else now.
To be fair, Comcast as a cable television provider has a crappy job. When was the last time you heard anyone say anything positive about cable TV? From as far back as I can remember, cable has been a necessary evil in my life — one that was tolerated only through episodes of “Star Trek.” I remember growing up and watching Comcast slowly gobble up small cable company after small cable company across the nation to become the leader of both cable Internet and TV.
Perhaps in the 1950s, when no one might be paying attention, you could change the name of your product, go to market without saying anything and the consumer would be none the wiser. However, in today’s high-speed communication world (thanks in part to Comcast itself), changes in any industry are trumpeted to the world in record time, effectively deflating the attempt.
To successfully re-brand a product we need to look at my ancient enemy: Apple Computers, Inc. Throughout much of the 1990s, Apple committed fiscal suicide with terrible product after terrible product that tested the resolve of even the staunchest Apple supporter. In 1997, Apple released its 20th anniversary computer for $7,499, which was underpowered and overpriced and, its worst failure to date. Then Steve Jobs came back in 1998. He reworked the management by cutting loose all the dead weight, got a brand new logo and a brand new product the: iMac. It was reasonably priced, aimed at the home market and it flew off shelves in 1998. Apple as we knew it was completely gone, and within a year or two all of its stigma had dissipated as well. At that juncture Apple could have changed its name along with its products and the world would have accepted it. At that point Apple had risen like a phoenix, with investments from Microsoft, which I can’t help but point out every time it comes up.
Comcast sans “Xfinity” on the other hand is a successful business enterprise that reaches millions of Americans on a daily-need basis that just has a tarnished reputation. People will care because they’re actually using and relying on Comcast for their entertainment, work and communications. The majority of Comcast’s changes are only going to be in major cities for a while, like Boston and Portland. Which means little to us rugged pioneers eking out an existence on the wild Oregon frontier far from Portland, where we will see an increased quality of customer service and nothing else for the time being. Re-branding doesn’t work without sweeping changes to go along with it. Comcast needs to do more than bring its customer service up to par with other companies and get a shiny new
product name I don’t understand.
What the hell is an “Xfinity” anyway? How much “finity” does this “X” possess in all actuality? How much “Xfinity” do I need as a consumer? What will “X” amount of “Xfinity” cost me?
It’s a goofy, ridiculous name that sounds like a brand of car stereos. Or a skateboard brand. Or an energy drink. You get the idea. The people paying their monthly cable bills aren’t generally in their teens. They’re adults, whether in college or retired. Perhaps they should have chosen a more accessible brand stylization: Comcast iCable. I’m told by very reliable sources that putting an “i” in front of anything equals dollar signs. When you a see a van roll by your house with “Xfinity” plastered on the side, try not to laugh too hard; sleep comfortably at night knowing the same people are still getting your money, and keep your fingers crossed that these sweeping changes get here sooner rather than later.
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