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In-Reply-To:  from "Bonnie Scott" at Aug 20, 98 05:03:28 pm
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-----------> This message was posted to the ONLINE-NEWS list. <-----------

> > 
> > An online newspaper we are working with here is in the process of
> > consolidating the existing sub-brands of their online service under an
> > overall umbrella branding. Do any of you have wisdom to share about
> > branding transitions online? How do you not confuse and lose readers? Do
> > you keep both brands going for a certain time? 

> > Can you suggest any good/ or bad examples of branding transitions
> > online?

> 
> 
> Bad Example:
> 
> Prodigy Internet out-sourcing their main internal site
> (www.prodigy.net, as seen from inside the P* network) 
> to Excite.
> 
> * Basically, Prodigy fired the 150 people who used to maintain 
> the content (only about a dozen community moderators were 
> offered positions at Excite, AFAIK).

Oh, I forgot to mention...  these were also the folks who had the
personal relationships with the members, keeping up
interest in the "communities" Prodigy ran through weekly
chats, and answering newsgroup questions. They were the ones who
had their fingers on the "pulse" of the membership; they
fielded questions not only about their topics, but also about 
using the Prodigy in general--they aided significantly in member 
retention and cutting support costs. Severing those relationships
was a non-reversable process.

> * Then, the redesign made Prodigy's main page look 
> exactly like any other Excite-branded site.
> 
> * The in-house "agent" technology that added a few goodies
> to the top page was scrapped.
> 
> * Since the entire back end changed, people who had already 
> customized their Prodigy home page had to re-customize it.
> 
> I'm not sure it can get any worse than that.
> 
> Bonnie Scott
> bonnie@ans.net
> 
> -----
> Disclaimer: I used to work at Prodigy, but wasn't around to
> witness *THIS* bad decision from the inside.  (I saw enough
> while I was there.)
> 


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Reply-To: "Brian Knapp"