SciFi.com rebranding
Written by Dixie Flatline
SCI FI is now Syfy
SciFi.com, one of the biggest nerd brands on the internet, has decided for some reason, to rebrand as Syfy.
SciFi.com was terribly marketed, the entire look and feel of the web site, not to mention the mediocre content on the television channel, but dumbing SciFi, short for “science fiction“, down to a web 2.0-ish non-word for the new name is almost unbelievable.
What could be greater than science fiction? What could be greater than wormhole travel, parallel universes, ancient races with godlike powers, interstellar travel, and science beyond the wildest conception?
The “Imagine Greater” trailer indicates that Syfy will be like Jurassic Park meets Alice in Wonderland meets LSD in a 3 ring circus.
If SciFi Syfy is in any way publicly owned, now is the time to get out. Healthy firms don’t rebrand and any observer of this media network knows that its issues are not based on the logo or slogan. Moves like this typically signal an unhealthiness in a company evidenced by the drastic, senseless and most importantly, costly swings for the emptiest portion of the bleachers.
It is like the pretty girl cutting all of her hair off and wearing sweat pants to the prom. Epic fail.
Xaq Fixx
SciFi was renamed SyFy for several reasons, partially to seem less geeky, but also because of trademark concerns. Syfy is “Unique and trademarkable” brand name, while SciFi is a generic genre description. SyFy/SciFi is owned by NBC/Universal Cable, which is in turn owned by General Electric and Vevendi, GE is publicly traded. SyFy is such a small part of GE that selling because of their rebranding may be a bit short sighted. NBC/Universal alone plans to own 50 Cable Chanels world wide by the end of 2009, and GE makes war machines, and countless other thigns, so their biz still will stand strong.
Comment — July 14, 2009 @ 5:28 pm