Optus denies plans to change name to Yes
Optus has said it has no plans to change its name to Yes after reports claimed it has been testing the proposition with focus groups.
While Yes has been the strapline for the telco for the past decade, Fairfax Media has claimed the telco has conducted market research into changing its name to Yes which showed positive sentiment towards the move from the public.
But this morning Optus told Mumbrella it has “no plans” to change its name, after trademarking a number of properties including Yes TV, Yes Crowd and WiFi Talk Yes.
According to the report the telco is also readying a “massive” marketing push which will centre on its recently-acquired English Premier League rights, as it looks to increase sign-ups to its broadband services.
The company paid $63m for the football rights for the next three years in a surprise move at the end of last year, and it also holds rights to all Cricket Australia’s highlights and mobile streaming coverage.
While the company has yet to reveal how it will screen the games, reports yesterday suggested Optus has walked away from negotiations with Fox Sports to have matches beamed into pubs and clubs, and will instead launch a stand-alone app and Fetch TV offering.
Last week it launched a sign-up page for people interested in receiving information on the new offering, and it has also recently launched a new content series and TV ads starring sprinter Usain Bolt highlighting its network speed.
According to the Fairfax report the company is also eyeing the launch of a news and sports highlights app similar to the News Loop offering from parent company Singtel.
Alex Hayes
Sounds like a great opportunity to follow the Dick Smith route and use lots of sex puns.
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As a self-confessed Optus brand advocate thanks to many years of focused, personalised service from their outstanding Social Media Team, I would say it’d be a bit of a dud move. I like the positive connotations but it’s a bit pretentious to call a company ‘Yes’ when the very word is such a frequently used part of the everyday vernacular. There is so much more value in using it as a tag line because, in my experience, ‘yes’ is so revealing and, as a promise, can’t get any more fundamental.
I also feel that the company needs to live up to the sterling service provided by its very own Social Media Team, a minute fraction of their entire workforce, and until it does, then calling the whole company ‘Yes’ would be a misnomer.
Besides, OPT-us is already positive-sounding … optimistic and optimal come to mind.
That ‘other’ major carrier’s name has become synonymous with the colloquial ‘Hellstra’ and frequently appears to live up to it. (But as I said, I’m a raving Optus brand advocate, so what do I know?)
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Poor ol’ Optus doesn’t know whether its coming or going. Nearly 5 months after he big EPL capture announcement it still hasn’t said how it will be broadcast on TV??
They’re a nonsense!
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Yes, well I suppose it is possitive. The US had the best name with “Bell” I mean he invented the thing, and then it had one or two attached to it, which led to the expression “give me a bell” or “bell me”
That name being tied up, some companies even used the AG within their name.
If I were to open a phone company in Japan, I would call it “Mushi Mushi”
so I guess that a phone company here should be called “G’day” or simply LO.
No, I am so old fashioned, even “cellcom” would be out of date and too close to the outmoded Telecom. I once seriously considered registering a business name of “Postage and Handling” but I gave it up, after I failed to conceive of an effective way to divert and channel the charges to my account.
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Failing “Yes”, there’s always “No”.
I think “Dunno” and “You reckon?” are still available as well.
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… wow. just wow.
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