In an attention-starved world ..

.. shorten your name by reducing it to one syllable(?).

Case in point: “Windows Live Search” becomes “Bing”. I get this: with Google appearing as a verb in popular culture, it’s easier to “Google it” than it was to “Live Search it”.

The branding folks get it.

Now, if for attention starvation or because they sell much more than pizza, Pizza Hut is shortening their name to “the Hut”.

I notice a domain squatter is holding www.hut.com hostage at the moment .. perhaps there are some negotiations in progress. http://www.thehut.com is taken too (at the time of this posting; there is now a legitimate ‘the hut’ that sells stuff).

Note that Yum Brands (the world’s largest restaurant company) also owns the chicken place formerly known as “Kentucky Fried Chicken”.

Yum renamed the chicken franchise to KFC a few years back, and is now adding references to the brand to highlight their grilled offerings (“KGC”). This is all part of their “unthink” marketing campaign (URL removed as out-of-date) that includes a $9.99 bucket of grilled chicken. Not a bad option, actually.

Anyhow, back to shorter and shorter names. MSN Money posts: “Pizza Hut to change its name?”.

(the original story of this post: the rename is out of date. However, I’m keeping the reference post as other bits are relevant).

About Michael Coates
I am a pragmatic evangelist. The products, services and solutions I write about fulfill real-world expectations and use cases. I stay up-to-date on real products I use and review, and share my thoughts here. I apply the same lens when designing an architecture, product or when writing papers. I am always looking for ways that technology can create or enhance a business opportunity .. not just technology for technology's sake. My CV says: Seasoned technology executive, leveraging years of experience with enterprise and integration architectural patterns, executed with healthy doses of business acumen and pragmatism. That's me. My web site says: Technology innovations provide a myriad of opportunities for businesses. That said, having the "latest and greatest" for its own sake isn't always a recipe for success. Business successes gained through exploiting innovation relies on analysis of how the new features will enhance your business followed by effective implementation. Goals vary far and wide: streamlining operations, improving customer experience, extending brand, and many more. In all cases, you must identify and collect the metrics you can apply to measure your success. Analysis must be holistic and balanced: business and operational needs must be considered when capitalizing on a new technology asset or opportunity.

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