Phonetic Branding?

By now, you may have already heard about how the "Sci Fi" cable TV network has changed its brand identity to "Syfy".

It's supposed to be edgy, I guess. And according to press releases "...broadens perceptions and embraces a wider and more diverse range of imagination-based entertainment..."

Ho-kay.

Public response has been predictable, with many people disliking the idea completely... and the majority seeming to be not-too-impressed. And now, there's some debate about who is actually responsible -- the agency or the client. According to a recent blog post, the agency are graciously shifting the blame... uh, I mean kudos... to the client.

Personally, if they insisted on this change, I would have suggested at least a slight difference like "Psi-Fi" or something that actually has an alternative meaning, rather than trying to invent a new word.

Amazingly, SyFy is being followed by other TV station re-brands, announced this morning.

National Geographic Channel has announced that they will now be known as "GeoSociety". Okay, that makes some sense.

Animal Planet is changing its name, though, to "HanImaPlant".
And its sister station Discovery is becoming "Very Disco".

Sure to upset certain groups (and maybe that's the idea), Fox News is rebranding as "9/11 Forever". Slightly more subtle is Comedy Central's switch to "Komedy Centraal".

In an age when traditional media are struggling for survival, these are some very bold and strange moves.

Will April 1st, 2009 be known as the day that cable TV imploded?