Get 40% Off
🤯 This Tech Portfolio is up 29% YTD! Join Now to Get April’s Top PicksGet The Picks – Just 99 USD

After vowels, abrdn loses capital letter in brand revamp

Published 07/05/2021, 07:58 AM
Updated 07/05/2021, 08:00 AM
© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: The offices of Standard Life Aberdeen in Saint Andrew Square Edinburgh, Scotland, Britain February 15, 2019.REUTERS/Russell Cheyne//File Photo

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: The offices of Standard Life Aberdeen in Saint Andrew Square Edinburgh, Scotland, Britain February 15, 2019.REUTERS/Russell Cheyne//File Photo

LONDON (Reuters) - British investment manager abrdn, formerly Standard Life (LON:ABDN) Aberdeen, is dropping the capital letter from its name, it said on Monday as it rolled out a branding revamp.

Abrdn received a large amount of publicity, much of it negative, when it announced name change plans in April.

Stephen Bird, CEO of abrdn, said the asset manager had in addition decided to drop the capital "A" following positive feedback on a lower-case name from clients and employees.

All the changes take effect from Monday.

"Branding had to be simple, clear and distinctive," Bird told Reuters.

The asset manager, a sponsor of the Scottish Open golf tournament and Edinburgh International Festival, said the name would be pronounced Aberdeen.

It is also simplifying its structure to focus on three areas: investments, adviser and personal.

"I came into a merging company. It had been taking too long to merge and too long to prove the benefits of the original concept," Bird said.

Abrdn's share price edged 0.36% higher in mid-session trading, broadly in line with the wider market.

Bird, a former Citi executive, joined abrdn in Sept 2020.

Standard Life merged with Aberdeen-based Aberdeen Asset Management to form Standard Life Aberdeen in 2017 and life insurer Phoenix bought the company's European and UK insurance businesses the following year.

Phoenix took on the Standard Life brand from the asset manager in Feb 2021 and sold back some of the businesses it bought in 2018, as the pair simplified the partnership.

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: The offices of Standard Life Aberdeen in Saint Andrew Square Edinburgh, Scotland, Britain February 15, 2019.REUTERS/Russell Cheyne//File Photo

Bird declined to detail the cost of the branding change, which was undertaken by Wolff Olins, but said it had been covered by the sale of the Standard Life brand.

Abrdn also said on Monday it was partnering with charity Hello World to fund computer hubs in "disconnected communities".

Latest comments

Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.