Behind the spin, the firm means all Aberdeen domain names are taken, but that’s no excuse
Don’t look weird, and make the name easy to write. In planning to call itself Abrdn, Standard Life Aberdeen has broken two golden rules of corporate rebranding. The new name is an awkward blur that is guaranteed to enrage customers’ spellchecking functions.
Stphn Brd, as the asset manager’s chief executive presumably now styles himself, called it “modern, agile and digitally enabled”, but he sounded like a man trying to justify a large bill from the designers. Modern financial firms call themselves things such as Monzo or Revolut, which have a zing about them. In this case, the company had to include a guide to pronunciation. The answer turns out to be Aberdeen, so why bother rinsing out three-quarters of the vowels?
