# Rebranding: I don't know whether to laugh or cry! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 29, 2025, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebranding-i-dont-know-whether-to-laugh-or-cry/1013563 "2025-01-29T05:48:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2025, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebranding-i-dont-know-whether-to-laugh-or-cry/1013563/21 "2025-01-29T20:53:58Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > and formulated a strategy to give AA a stronger message Is that Athletics Australia or Australian Athletics? I’m not sensing the strongness. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2025, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebranding-i-dont-know-whether-to-laugh-or-cry/1013563/22 "2025-01-30T11:35:17Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Is that Athletics Australia or Australian Athletics? I’m not sensing the strongness. Did you read any other part of my post? Because I was very clear the the name change constitutes a tiny part of the whole project. Have you read any of their current communications and compared it with previous ones? Didn’t think so. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2025, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebranding-i-dont-know-whether-to-laugh-or-cry/1013563/23 "2025-01-30T14:14:57Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > > [@WildaBeast](#): > > > > > [@robby](#): > > > > > > something other than “AA.” Oh wait… 😉 > > > > American Airlines, or Alcoholics Anonymous? - > > Alcoholics Airlines. “We’re flying before we leave the ground.” Americans Anonymous. “We apologize for the current administration” > [@SanVito](#): > > This sort of reaction is pretty standard when there’s been a slight tweak to one element of an identity, and everyone piles in to wail about $2 million being spent on a stupid name change. > > I don’t have any opinion about this rebrand as I haven’t seen it, and wasn’t familiar with the previous iteration, but what I CAN tell you is that a rename is one teeny tiny part of a rebrand. Hey! Don’t bring a serious discussion in here where we’re poking fun at a MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT around (let’s face it) a pretty minimal change. Next you’re going to tell us that Wal\*Mart changing its font to bold was a “bold stroke” (pun intended). In all seriousness, I get what you’re saying. Yes, the name change is minimal, but if you want a clean sweep fresh start, using the old name would just get in the way. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2025, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebranding-i-dont-know-whether-to-laugh-or-cry/1013563/24 "2025-01-30T14:28:00Z")
> [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](#): > > Hey! Don’t bring a serious discussion in here where we’re poking fun at a MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT around (let’s face it) a pretty minimal change. My bad. I shouldn’t look at these boards during work hours with a shiny new set of brand guidelines to proof read in front of me. Please go back to taking the p\*ss! ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2025, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebranding-i-dont-know-whether-to-laugh-or-cry/1013563/25 "2025-01-30T15:33:44Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > Didn’t think so. Maybe not everyone is as enamored of brand consulting as you are. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2025, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebranding-i-dont-know-whether-to-laugh-or-cry/1013563/26 "2025-01-30T15:56:50Z")
They’ve got problems? When I bought a super comfy dressing gown from a cheapo shop, it wasn’t till I got it home that I noticed a modest branding on the chest: Bedroom Athletics. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2025, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebranding-i-dont-know-whether-to-laugh-or-cry/1013563/27 "2025-01-30T15:58:27Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Maybe not everyone is as enamored of brand consulting as you are. Just here to fight some ignorance my friend. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2025, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebranding-i-dont-know-whether-to-laugh-or-cry/1013563/28 "2025-01-30T16:04:09Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > The Australian Sports Syndicate has a better ring to it It has a ring? Wouldn’t that be the Australian National Union of Sports? ---
**Author:** ![Wallaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Wallaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallaby)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2025, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebranding-i-dont-know-whether-to-laugh-or-cry/1013563/29 "2025-02-02T07:50:55Z")
It’s not even the stupdest re-brand in Australia in the last few years. Our official Government weather department is the Bureau of Meteorology. Known as the BOM (pronounced Bomb’. Yeah - cool name! The website is ‘BOM.gov.au’. There is a very serviceable official weather app on your phone labelled ‘BOM’. People don’t say ‘Check the weather’ - they say ‘Check the BOM’. ‘What’s on the BOM’. etc It is a brilliant brand name. However, despite it being the simplest, easiest, _ **coolest** _ name for a Government department _ **that isn’t even a commercial organisation** _, someone decided to pay some ‘Branding Consultants’ a large-ish sum of money to come up with a new name. Ready? “The Bureau”. No joke. Fortunately after about 12-24 hours of derision, howls of laughter, and complaints about ‘Waste of Taxpayers money!’ etc… It has never been mentioned since. And the ‘BOM’ it remains. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebranding-i-dont-know-whether-to-laugh-or-cry/1013563.md?page=1)