Warning to Whitacre: Don't dump AT&T name; Strong brand image.(Ed Whitacre)

Advertising Age, February, 2005

Byline: ALICE Z. CUNEO

There's a simple reason why empire-building SBC chief Ed Whitacre should put the AT&T name over his door, and it's not just that he paid $16 billion for it. AT&T still has meaning for the man on the street.

Experts feel that for all its old-world, rotary-phone connotations, the consumer still has stronger emotional connections to Ma Bell than to Mr. Whitacre's own bland acronym. Once the purchase is complete, they say the combined company should be called AT&T, not SBC.

strong brand

Steve Kirkeby, senior director of telecommunications, J.D. Power and Associates, has studied their respective reputations: "AT&T has a very strong brand image in all residential studies, particularly in our local service studies,''...

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