What’s In a Name?

📸 About the photo: Captured by my husband, Michael Blachly, during a quiet evening in D’Hanis, Texas, this image of an abandoned church under the Milky Way evokes what’s left behind when meaning is stripped away. Once a place of purpose and identity, now a shell, much like what can happen when a brand forgets its emotional value. More at michaelblachly.com.

Sometimes, the most expensive part of a rebrand isn’t the design of the collateral, it’s forgetting what your brand means to customers.

Warner Bros. Discovery's decision to revert from "Max" back to "HBO Max" underscores the critical importance of aligning branding with consumer perception. The original rebrand aimed to broaden the appeal by shedding the "HBO" moniker, but it inadvertently diluted a name synonymous with premium content.

This move faced widespread criticism and confusion, highlighting a disconnect between corporate strategy and audience expectations.

This isn't just a lesson in branding; it's a wake-up call for any company considering a rebrand: you can't simply swap names without understanding the emotional value they hold.