Short Takes: Nationwide Shortens Name, Sets Rebranding

Nationwide Insurance Enterprise has simplified its name, scrapped its old logo, and announced a new brand advertising campaign.

The company said last week that it will now be known simply as "Nationwide."

"As we grow and acquire companies, we want to do our best to leverage one name and speak with one voice," said Jeffrey Botti, a spokesman for the Columbus, Ohio, company.

It also renamed two subsidiaries. The property and casualty insurance unit, Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co., is now Nationwide Insurance. The financial planning and life insurance unit, Nationwide Financial Services, is now Nationwide Financial.

Though its slogan-"Nationwide is on your side"-is remembered by consumers, the company said, fewer than 10% could recall the company's logo, an upper case "N" with an eagle. So it kept the slogan but introduced a "living logo" of a screen that looks like a television or a computer monitor framing "people in life's moments."

One example features a father and son fishing, Mr. Botti said.

The company plans to kick off a $10 million national television and print advertising campaign Sept. 1. Nationwide is also revamping its Web site.

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