• by Aaron Baar , April 7, 2016

Once you’ve really made it, one name is all you really need. Just ask Bono, Madonna or Britney. As a manner reflective of its rise to become one of the top phone manufacturers in North America, Alcatel Onetouch is shortening its name to Alcatel. 

“As our global business and product portfolio has grown over recent years, we’ve found that our brand needed to exemplify our new positioning as well to best represent our growth and our focus on reaching Millennial customers,” Jon Maron, vice president of marketing and communications for Alcatel North America, tells Marketing Daily. “This new branding drops Onetouch from our brand name, allowing us to soften the look and feel of our logo itself, helping to make our brand more approachable and memorable for consumers.”

Announced earlier this year at the Mobile World Congress, the new branding is rolling out in North America this month. The company has seen its profile increase to become the number four mobile phone manufacturer in the region in 2015, and the new positioning is meant to reflect that. 

“We compete in a highly competitive and noisy marketplace, requiring our brand to be memorable, relevant and drive affinity amongst our customers,” Maron says. “With our new branding, and subsequent rollout, we’re able to drive that consumer affinity to more closely align with our market share growth, and consequently, increase our overall brand awareness.”

As Maron explains, “Alcatel Onetouch” sounded more like the name of a product, rather than a “smart, value-focused electronics brand.” “By simplifying our brand name, as well as our look and feel, we now have a brand platform that is more approachable for our intended consumer audience,” he says.

The company has already begun the rollout on its online properties and with Alcatel-sponsored Major League Soccer teams LA Galaxy and New York City FC. The new brand and products will be featured at the 2016 events The Color Run and The Color Run Night (of which Alcatel is the official smartphone and tablet sponsor). New products will feature the revised branding later this year, Maron says.