Xerox Corporation
*Formerly: The Haloid Company
*Year Changed: 1961
Founded in Rochester, NY, in 1906, originally callnamed “The Haloid Company” it produced photography paper. In 1947, the began to develop a photocopying machine (the technique was called xerography). In 1958, the company changed its name to
Haloid Xerox Inc. The Xerox 914 copier machine became so popular so that the “Xerox” brand became widely recognizable and even a generic term. Thus it became evident that the company should only be named Xerox.
CA Technologies
*Formerly: Computer Associates, Inc.
*Year Changed: CA, Inc. (2006) and CA Technologies (2010)
The 1990s and early 2000s were very difficult for Computer Associates, including: inflated executive bonuses, a 12-year prison sentence for former Chief Executive Sanjay Kumar. In an effort to these bad times, the company changed its name to CA Inc. in 2006. In 2010, it changed its name again to CA Technologies.
Nissan Motor Company, Ltd.
*Formerly: Datsun
*Year Changed: 1981
The successful brand Nissan was reconggnized throughout the world, but in USA it retained the Datsun brand up until the Fall of 1981. The “Nissan” brand, was notorius in the USA because the the company was a major military manufacturer in WWII.
Accenture
*Formerly: Andersen Consulting
*Year Changed: 2000
In 1989, Andersen Consulting separated from its parent company, Arthur Andersen. The success of Andersen Consulting needed additional independence from Arthur Andersen and the companies broke all ties in 2000, when the new name was adopted. As a result of the charges arising from the Enron investigation, Arthur Anderson’s was found guilty of obstruction of justice and has all but gone out of business.
Altria Group, Inc.
*Formerly: Philip Morris Companies Inc.
*Year Changed: 2003
The company wanted to escape the negative connotations attached to the tobacco businees. Although it is still a tobacco company, the new name no longer suffers the same animosity that the Philip Morris Companies brand had. Yet, the company still owns Philip Morris USA.
Xe Services
*Formerly: Blackwater Worldwide
*Year Changed: 2009
Very much like the case of Philip Morris, Blackwater sought a resort out of its damaged reputation. The company suffered many accusations for its work for the U.S. government in Iraq, including the killing of Iraqi citizens. Still the company insisted that the change signified the shift away from the private security business. Presently they operate the largest training facilities for military, security and law enforcement professionals.
LG Corp.
*Formerly: Lucky and GoldStar Co., Ltd.
*Year Changed: 1995
The company was formed in 1947 in South Korea under the name Lak-Hui Chemical Industrial Corp. Soon they called it “Lucky,” with the prime focus on cosmetics and hygiene products. When the company moved into the home appliance industry they chose the name “GoldStar.” As the electronics division of the company received acclaimed success it expanded internationally and in order to suit better the tastes of the global consumer, the company name was once again changed to the English -friendly “LG Corp.”
Panasonic Corporation
*Formerly: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
*Year Changed: 2008
The company used to own many different brand names worldwide, incl. National, Technics, and Panasonic. Although Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. was found in 1935, in 2008 it changed its name to Panasonic Corporation attempting to unify under a singular and most popular global brand.
Oracle Corporation
*Formerly: Relational Software
*Year Changed: 1995
The not so significant Relational Software was dropped out for the enigmatic Oracle Systems in 1982. The change was induced the tremendous success of the Oracle Database and that name overshadowed that of the company. In 1995 the name was once more polished to appeal the to the corporate world, namely Oracle Corporation.