Apparently, formerly Computer Associates now . and becoming CA Technologies as a brand (not legally) found out the hard way that CA Inc. was non-descript and too much like California and Cocaine Anonymous to be worthy. So says a Wall Street Journal article May 17, 2010 in Corporate News (I would’ve thought that a story for the Marketing & Media section) and in.
To escape some accounting scandal, Computer Associates dashed to alter its identity to CA Inc. Seriously? I’m sure I heard about it and yawned. Now, a mere five years later (not long enough in the timeline of a corporation) with a looming gazillion dollar budget, the company is changing branding everywhere on products and marketing. Yet, it’s keeping its legal name CA Inc.
Why? Because CA Inc. didn’t describe what the company does.
So, I thought it fitting to tell you my name change story. Let’s call this storytelling or my company back story. I’m told by a dear colleague who shall remain nameless, Gregg, that storytelling is what makes the whirl funnel …
In 1991, I launched my first company – Soulati Media Relations, Inc. For seven years, I hired kids out of school, paid salaries and benefits and was president of the. I did exactly that – media relations. I was such a youngster. It was the pre Internet era, although in those days the first email addresses were from Compuserve, and they were digits!
In 2002, I came back out for the third time and named my company Marketing, Media & More, Inc. This was the early Internet era and still pre-social media. The company name was long, but it was what I offered. And, it added “marketing” to the mix because you know as public relations people the quest is always to be more marketing driven.
INTRODUCING SOULATI MEDIA, INC.
In May 2010, a name change to . With the age of social media upon us and the branding of Soulati nearly a decade old with a Web site () a blog (Soulati-‘TUDE!) and my email it was time to pull the branded family together. (Now, if you visit, you’ll see I’m still working on the presentation as this is a new deal.)
Thanks to CA Technologies, CA or Computer Associates whatever your name is for providing the platform to introduce the new me — branded and all.
Now, what’s your brand?
