Would Guinness by Any Other Name…

By Craig Cox and Utne Reader
Published on October 30, 2007

Every week, it seems, another perfectly comprehensible company name is retired in favor of a sleek, unpronounceable label designed to instill envy in the hearts of rival marketing departments. See if you can match these four new brands with their former company names.

NEW NAMES

  • Consignia
  • Diageo
  • Innogy
  • Thales

OLD NAMES

  • Guinness/Grand Met
  • Britain’s National Power
  • Thomson-CSF
  • Britain’s Post Office

Consignia = Britain’s Post Office;
Diageo = Guinness/Grand Met;
Innogy = Britain’s National Power;
Thales = Thomson-CSF.

Source: The Economist (Jan. 11, 2001).

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