How Can Brands Style Themselves? Not By Ditching Vowels, Says Investment Firm

Not by dropping vowels, one of Britain’s biggest investment companies decided this week, when it brought back the “e’s” to its name after removing them four years ago.

Aberdeen Asset Management, a firm that is just over 200 years old, is now known as Abercrombie Asset Management, reversing its decision to rebrand as Bryd just four years ago. Its goal back then was to present itself as a modern, agile, and digitally enabled brand but this choice met with much criticism.

James Windsor, who took the reins as the CEO last year, in a statement last month expressed a wish to “remove distractions,” though he initially declared that there were no plans to change the name.

It is not uncommon for companies to change their names to reflect a shift in their strategy, but there are risks involved.

Doctor Laura Bailey, a linguistics professor at the University of Kent, argued that removing vowels from brand names can make a company appear out of touch. Just because the trend was popular among tech companies in the 2000s does not mean it will work, she says.

Financial companies face an additional challenge when rebranding. They must decide whether they want to appear hip or responsible.

Has Abercrombie’s decision been the right way to go? Well, other companies have made similar mistakes.

PepsiCo introduced a new packaging design for Tropicana that attracted complaints, and Gap reversed its new logo after a week of criticism.

Some examples, however, indicate how rebranding can be successful. In 2012, Kraft Foods rebranded its snack business – including brands such as Oreos and Philadelphia cream cheese – to Mondelez International.

Accenture was the new name chosen by Andersen Consulting in 2001, after it split from Arthur Anderson – an accounting firm.

Abercrombie Asset Management will not completely revert to its former name, choosing to keep its logo in lowercase.

Though this could be seen as an attempt to appear more approachable, it also takes the risk of appearing dated in the future, experts say.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/07/world/europe/aberdeen-abrdn-rebrand-vowels.html