Matsushita to Change Name to Panasonic

Associated Press via MyWay.com ^ | January 10, 2008 | Yuri Kageyama

[RayChuang88]

TOKYO (AP) - Japanese electronics maker Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. said Thursday it will drop the name of its charismatic founder and become Panasonic Corp. to strengthen its global image.

Matsushita President Fumio Ohtsubo acknowledged it was a tough decision to give up the Matsushita and other brand names the company has built with consumers and employees for 90 years.

But he said the value of the Panasonic brand had suffered because the company had stuck with the old name.

"We must create more than what we are giving up," he said, speaking from Osaka headquarters to reporters in the company's Tokyo office via a video feed.

The name change was approved at a board meeting Thursday and will become effective Oct. 1, pending approval at a shareholders' meeting in June.

[RayChuang88]

This is something that the company should have done at least 18 years ago. The only reason why they kept the founder's name in the company and the National brand name was deference to the founder of the company, whose name is legendary in the history of Japanese business.

While it would not affect the name brand recognition in most of the world, it would be quite strange in eastern Asia to see the company name and all its appliances sold under the Panasonic name, especially in Japan.

[Army Air Corps]

I wonder if the employees will continue to sing the company song at the beginning of each work day:

“For the building of the new Japan,
unite your hearts, unite your efforts.
Give your all.
Let us send our products to the people of the world
in an unending stream.”

[ShadowAce]

[antiRepublicrat]

In general I don’t care, but I’ll miss the Technics name because of their awesome, yet affordable, record players.

[RayChuang88]

The Technics name is still used on higher-end stereo components, if I remember correctly.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

but I’ll miss the Technics name because of their awesome, yet affordable, record players.

Man, there was nothing like a good old Technics direct drive, variable speed. With the cool strobe light.

[Domestic Church]

Panasonic Corp. said Tuesday it has ordered overseas employees families to return home from developing countries that the company believes may be at risk of an influenza pandemic.

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/archive/news/2009/02/10/20090210p2a00m0na005000c.html

…According to the company, there have been no cases in which its expatriates or their accompanying family members have been infected with the new type of influenza. However, it started ordering the families return home in December based on fears over the new flu and local medical standards in each country. Countries in Europe, North America and Oceania were exempted…

[neverdem]

Thanks for the ping & link. Here's a related thread.

Panasonic calls people home over flu fear