These 11 Brand Names That Couldn't Survive

When starting a business, creating the name of the brand is one of the most important parts; without a good brand name. the brand can suffer and have poor marketing and public relations. The problem is that sometimes things happen that can alter the perception of a brand's name, things that have nothing to do with the actual business.

For example, the Isis candy company. The candy company has nothing to do with the group in the Middle East but when people hear "ISIS", they think of the terror group and their acts of violence, not delicious chocolate.

Not every brand has to ditch a name when they find themselves in a situation like this, there are other routes. After all, a company's branding- personality, recognition, etc.- all rest on the brand's name. It is a large step and an arduous one! As soon as you get a new brand name, you are essentially starting from square one. However, sometimes that is the only solution, such as with Isis candy, who now operates under Libeert.

Here are 11 brand names that had unfortunate situations like this:

1. Isis Chocolates. Yes, we just mentioned them but we will go into more detail. The company actually had a great name until 2013, they went by Italo Suisse. It was in 2013 when they changed their name to Isis. Too bad the execs at the company didn't know about the terror group or they wouldn't have chosen that name, according to their marketing manager. The terror group has been around for a long time but it wasn't until the summer of 2014 until the US began hearing about them, as that was when they started mass-releases of their videos. They chose Libeert since that's the last name of the owners. Good move. 
2. Ayds diet candy. There was once a candy company called Ayds. That's right, it sounded just like the disease- AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). Even when AIDS had a mass awareness in 1981, the candy company didn't think the names would conflict. Well, in 1987, they realized they were wrong. The CEO and his team created a new name for the brand, "Diet Ayds". The new name was as bad as the old one. The brand flopped and disappeared from the world. This brand could've used some serious franchise PR. 
3. United Stationers. This was a recent change, just a month ago. United Stationers decided to change their name, the one they had since 1922, to Essendant. They believed that "stationers" sounded too much like stationary, which gave an antiquated feel, according to CEO Cody Phipps. 
4. Nokia. Nokia, the once preferred famous brand of cell phones. The phones notorious for strength (at least the ones from the 90s and 00s). And then the smartphone happened. Nokia was slow to adapt and they had to partner with Microsoft to make it happen. Microsoft bought Nokia in 2014, released the Lumia without the "Nokia" name on the phone, and the rest is recent history. 
5. Sci Fi. The Sci Fi channel changed its name to SyFy. The way it sounds is exactly the same, so this name change technically worked. This name change happened so the channel could broaden its offerings and it could be copyrighted. 
6. Hot Mama. This popular clothing brand was doing very well, however, due to its name (and branding), people thought they sold maternity clothes. They changed it to Evereve. 
7. YMCA. The famous gym brand changed their name from YMCA to The Y. Very few Americans knew what the letters stood for and it drove people crazy. The solution was simple, don't use them. The new logo and name were an easy acceptance for Americans since so many people called it "The Y" for years, anyway. 
8. Philip Morris. The largest tobacco company in the world, Philip Morris, knew that they had to change their name due to its closeness to Marlboro and other cigarette brands, which drew heat. They changed their name to Altria. 
9. AIG Chartis. The company at the center of the economic fallout of 2008, which was bailed out for $85 billion. Had changed their name to AIG Chartis in 2009. However, after ranking as the most hated brand every year between 2009 and 2013, they went back to AIG. 
10. ValuJet. You might know them by the name AirTran. When a ValuJet plane crashed in the Florida Everglades in 1996, there was some serious anger that came at the airline; they were known for low-priced airfare but many believed it was due to shoddy planes and maintenance. The brand was bought out by Southwest in 2010 and is no longer operating under AirTran name. 
11. Malaysia Airlines. You could say 2014 was not a good year for the airline, since it lost two planes within five months. One is still not found over a year later. While this brand has not done anything yet, a major rebranding is in the works, which could include a name change. 

Many of these brands changed their names due to a crisis, which can happen to any company. If your brand encounters a sticky situation, make sure to contact a crisis communications agency, such as a franchise PR firm.