Why ‘the Y’ Works

On Monday, the YMCA announced that it is shortening its name to ‘the Y.’ Given the 166-year heritage behind the Young Men’s Christian Association, some argue that the name change throws away valuable brand equity, including that gained from the enduring Village People single and its subsequent arm motions.

Oppositely, this strategic name shift doesn’t toss the brand’s heritage; it extracts the most valuable element, renovating the name for the modern context, retaining the equity that lies in the YMCA brand and building on it.

The brand’s name shift to ‘the Y’ exemplifies one of the core beliefs held by The Naming Group: the prefix “re-“—as in “rename” or “rebrand”—suggests starting from scratch, indeed squandering precious equity. This example supports our outlook that naming is more accurately a transition—a Brandsition, as we call it—from once-relevant elements to ones that fit the updated context and exhibit a timeless quality.

Formerly-known-as-the-YMCA chief marketing officer Kate Coleman hit the nail on the head by saying, “It’s a way of being warmer, more genuine, more welcoming when you call yourself what everyone else calls you.” What eloquence!

Other iconic brands prove Coleman’s premise. Coke, for example, retains the Americana heritage of its namesake Coca-Cola and lends the Coca-Cola brand some modernity and applicability to evolving generations. When Federal Express slimmed the brand name down to its epithet ‘FedEx’ in 2000, it adapted to the shorthand name used by the company’s customers yet preserved the brand identity. Let us also recall the recent buzz around Chevrolet and the sales and marketing VPs asking that employees refer to the automaker by its full name instead of ‘Chevy;’ most agree that avoiding the nickname that customers revere was going to be a bad move.

The key is in the tail end of Coleman’s statement: “what everyone else calls you.” Branding from the basis of a fabricated nickname will never have the same effect, as we are learning from Radio Shack’s new positioning, ‘The Shack.’ The company’s customers have never referred to it as the Shack, so instead of building an association between the name and the store the new name abandons the brand equity accrued over time.

The naming lesson learned is to choose critically when updating the title of an existing brand. The foremost goal must be to protect brand equity by creating a cognitive bridge between the ‘old’ and new. The Y has adapted a colloquial name—one that is already highly recognizable and used by its patrons—so, lucky for them, the bulk of the Brandsition work is done!

What the news means for the Village People? In a press release, the group stated, "We are deeply dismayed by today's announcement...while we admire the organization for the work they do, we still can’t help but wonder Y.” Two words: new single.