Stephanie posted in May about AT&T phasing out the Cingular brand, and it looks like AT&T plans to continue the trend when its purchase of BellSouth is approved. AT&T is banking its future on the fact that, despite problems in the past, it is still the most recognizable name in the phone business. Like Verizon and other telecommunications companies, AT&T is also selling bundles of services and wants to have a single brand for all its products.
???The BellSouth and Cingular names are not just at the iconic level globally,??? said Wendy Clark, vice president for advertising at AT&T, in a recent New York Times article. ???When you have an integrated solution, the nomenclature of wireless and wireline will become blurred to the point where you need a single brand. It???s about one-stop shopping.??? The rebranding effort will be a large undertaking, and not without risks. BellSouth and Cingular don't have the history of the AT&T brand, but the companies currently have a more than 70 million customers between them.
AT&T also plans to organize a national campaign to reintroduce its brand. The company declined to provide specifics about the campaign, but said the scale and message would be in line with their current efforts to rename SBC, which has included a redesigned blue globe and the catchphrase ???Your World. Delivered.???
You can read more about AT&T's plan in the New York Times article AT&T Bets Its Brand Is More Than Nostalgia.
