At CES this week, Motorola Mobility chief operating officer Rick Osterloh said that Lenovo plans to phase out the Motorola brand, which created some confusion. The company responded by releasing a statement to address the reactions. “… Many articles and blog posts have focused on the fact that as part of these plans, the ‘Motorola’ company brand will become less central to our marketing. We want to add a little context that was missing from these reports.”
Motorola wants to “streamline” its products under two brands: Moto and Vibe (which is known as Le Meng in China). The company wants to assure us that it is not simply dumping the Motorola name or organization. Rather, it is seeking to “evolve” under its parent company Lenovo, which purchased Motorola Mobility from Google in 2014.
The pioneering telecommunications corporation says that Motorola Mobility itself remains the engineering and design wing for all the of Lenovo’s Mobile Business Group (MBG) smartphones and wearables. The subsidiary does not plan to lose its “engineering heritage.”
The Motorola brand itself has changed over the years, as the company played with various fonts and colors, as many other corporations are wont to do. The decision to bring on the “Moto” label is simply another step that clearly demonstrates a streamlining effort. Motorola is confident that consumers will recognize the connection and appreciate the change. In addition, the “batwing” logo has been changing from the traditional blue or red to something more colorful.
The Motorola brand will continue to be used on Moto and Vibe products, though it’s likely that it will be less prominent than before. The two new names will be used for the “hero smartphone product brands” across the globe. In other words, they will be what you notice above all else when looking at a Motorola product. Also look for the Lenovo name to make an appearance on packaging.
Under Lenovo’s vast umbrella, Motorola can expand into one of the world’s most competitive businesses. For example, it can offer customers a complete PC, tablet, and smartphone experience. Lenovo itself will be the connection between all future commercial products.
