BBC NEWS | Business | AOL pleads for name change
America Online is asking its parent, AOL Time Warner, to ditch the AOL part of its name.
The internet portal and e-mail service claims that the association with its parent firm is creating a negative image amongst its customers.
In a memo to staff, America Online chief executive Jonathan Miller told his staff that AOL had become shorthand for the media giant and that the association had been damaging.
The antics of the parent embaresses the child. Its familiar stuff. Only in this case of course its rather a marriage of unequals.
Its funny that while AOL itself has actually been listening to customers and attempting to deliver on promises and new ideas (witness AOL Journals), Time Wrner is constantly seen as the consumer's nightmare of big business picking on the little guy.
Does this mean a divorce? I doubt it. Like all mergers it semed a good idea at the time but no one really gave thought as to what ths would mean in the future. Until AOL can leverage Time Warner in a positive light, then its a case of parent being allowed to sit and watch, as long as they don't tell anyone they're related.
Posted by Paul Goodison at August 12, 2003 08:22 AM | TrackBack