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In 1995, AT&T dedided to split in three, by spinning out its computer business (to be renamed NCR), and all of its telecommunications manufacturing businesses, whose potential customers included all of AT&T's competitors in telecom services. This new company, whose $22 billion IPO would be the largest yet in history, needed a new name.

Rebranding, in fact, was an immediate and urgent priority for the new management team of Henry Schacte, Richard McGinn and Carly Fiorina. Landor was retained for its global network, big-client experience and speed commitment. Barred from using the Bell and AT&T brands, management opted for a "clean break" strategy, an expression of freedom and self-determination. The branding goals: retain "quality, reliability, technological innovation and stature," add "speed, energy, flexibility," but lose "slow, arrogant, inflexible."

The name "Lucent," an evocative real word meaning light-bearing, and the abstract red "ring of innovation" symbol met these strategic and and emotional goals in dramatic fashion.

Two descriptive tag lines were used, to retain historic equity and define the new scope of the enterprise -- "Bell Labs Innovations," and "We make the things that make communications work." A formal name extension, "Technologies," provided another way to communicate core competence. Five units were defined and named, and a monolithic signature system would help assure that all employees would help to build the new brand.  The employee launch was a live global internal video conference from HQ, supported then by a sustained $80 million ad campaign. 

Landor

Submitted by: Tony Spaeth, 8/04/2007
Status: Estimated by Tony Spaeth
Category: Technology Hardware & Equipment
Country (HQ): United States