Naming as Strategic Communication: Understanding Corporate Name Change through an Integrative Framework Encompassing Branding, Identity and Institutional Theory

This article presents a framework for understanding corporate name change as strategic communication. From a corporate branding perspective, the choice of a new name can be seen as a wish to stand out from a group of similar organizations. Conversely, from an institutional perspective, name change can be perceived as a way to claim membership of a given orga- nizational field. The framework integrates these understandings and serves a double purpose. First, it can be applied as a theoretical lens through which we can analyze and consequently understand naming in diverse sectors around the world. Second, it offers practical support to organiza- tions, private as well as public, who find themselves in a situation where changing the name of the organization could be a way to reach either communicative or organizational goals.