What’s In A Name? (A Lot)

I was just throwing away junk mail out of my mailbox a hard-to-understand postcard from a company called “LifeStream”.

As I walked back up my driveway, I vaguely recalled that the local Blood Bank had recently changed its name to LifeStream “…to help alter longstanding public perceptions” (taken from an interview defending the name change)

Turns out they’re still in the blood business, they just want to be thought of as a “Wellness Partner” instead of a place where people give and receive blood… even though that’s EXACTLY WHAT THEY DO.

So their advertising now goes unnoticed by many because no one knows what the hell “LifeStream” means. From a marketing/advertising perspective, from a practical perspective, from every possible perspective you can look at it from, it’s a terrible bone-headed move that I guarantee is hurting their business and their donations.

Tragic. Say what you do. Make it obvious. Don’t play word games. It’s advertising and marketing 101.