If you’re a business, changing the name of your organization can be a bit of a nightmare. For example, in 2015, Google reorganized under a new name, Alphabet. Pop Quiz: how many of you recall Google Alphabet? Not too many, we would wager. Here’s another one that will really prove your age: Quantum Computer Services became AOL. Who remembers AOL? Did you know that Best Buy were once called Sound of Music? And, here’s a wild one – Pepsi-Cola was once Brad’s Drink. You get what we mean . . . it’s no walk in the park to change a company’s branding. Just think about it . . .
So, if you can, imagine the hard work that those companies had to take on to reorient the brand names that had been around for decades, just think about what an entire country would be facing if it wanted to change its name. Well, that’s happened many times and. Below, we present some examples.
Türkiye: Not too long ago, the United Nations announced that Türkiye will replace the name Turkey. “Türkiye is the best representation and expression of the Turkish people’s culture, civilization and values,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said when his government released a memo about the name change.
In April 2018, King Mswati III renamed Swaziland to Eswatini, underscoring the ruler’s bid to break free from the country’s colonial past. It is said that the king was also unhappy with how Swaziland was confused by some for Switzerland.
The Netherlands: The Dutch government also overhauled its image by ditching the name Holland. As of 2020, business leaders, the tourism board and the central government all refer to the country as the Netherlands. Now North Holland and South Holland are just two of 12 provinces in the European country.
Want to learn more? Read the full story here courtesy of DW.com
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