Alphabet soup

We all know what IBM is. Likely we also all recognize NCR and CBS. They are all iconic brands that have stood the test of time. Sometimes those times were tough, but they are still icons in the American landscape.

How did they become a three letter company? Again, they stood the test of time. They are brands we grew up with, that were perched in our family rooms and businesses since we were children. If you say IBM, you know what that means and who they are. Unfortunately, everyone now want to become a three letter brand. Don't think so? Listen to a radio or a television commercial especially when they are touting an organization fighting a disease. Medical branding seems to want to downgrade every prominent condition to three letters. Groups that are working for social change also fall into that category. Although MADD is a four letter word, no pun intended, I wonder if that is such a good thing.

I believe groups that are fighting for a worthy cause are short-circuiting their goals as they try to abbreviate their titles. What has more effect in your mind; Crohn's Disease Foundation or CDF. (As for purposes of illustration, as far as I know there is no Crohn's Disease Foundation). It is hip to be just a few letters in today's world but those letters do not convey the true intent of what they are working to achieve. The only ones who know the letters are the insiders in those groups. What does CDF mean to someone from the outside? Likely they mean nothing.

Too many groups and organizations are trying to establish an identity without establishing credibility as they pursue their cause. Tell the world your name and you might just get some help. The name has power in and influence to a cause. No one want to help a bowl of alphabet soup.

RCT