It's not the name that counts; it's the content

It is time. Do it.

We talked about this on and off for several years — changing the name of the Gulf Coast Business Review.

The internal resistance was strong. When I announced my intentions at a staff meeting, the silence was deafening, the stares steely and the unspoken comments ... Probably unprintable.

Why throw away all of the equity already built up in Gulf Coast Business Review and Review.net? Why alienate or risk losing our customers — our loyal readers and advertisers?

It's a risk, yes. But really, not that big of one. It's not as if we were toying with dumping the names “Coca-Cola” or “McDonald's.” They know us by our name, but they buy us for our content and audience; neither of those will change. In a month, I argued, the name won't make a difference.

Truth is, I've regretted the name Gulf Coast Business Review for more than 15 years. We've been publishing the paper for 16.

When we launched the paper in 1997, the original name was Gulf Coast Review — no “Business.” At the time, the dominant brand among local business papers was “Business Journal,” the moniker spread across America's metropolitan markets by the American City Business Journals company in Charlotte, N.C.

We didn't want to be a Business Journal. We wanted to be different. So we opted for what was then somewhat of a competing brand name — Review. In South Florida, American Lawyer published three papers, the Miami Daily Review, the Broward Daily Review and Palm Beach Daily Review (They have since added “Business” to their names). And in Tampa, there was the Tampa Bay Review, owned by another publisher.

We went with Review.

Soon after, readers suggested we add the word “Business” to the title. They said people didn't know “Gulf Coast Review” was a business paper. Good suggestion.

Then it hit: We shouldn't have called it the Business Review. “Review” says “look back.” We've always wanted the Business Review to look forward. What's the next trend? Who's going to be the next big success? Look ahead, that's what we try to do.

In 2001, we acquired the Tampa Bay Review. Shortly after, we expanded the Gulf Coast Business Review to Lee and Collier counties. We covered the coast.

But then we made another naming mistake. Without much research, we merged the Tampa Bay Review and Gulf Coast Business Review to create one brand. In Tampa Bay, however, the words “Gulf Coast” don't register. In Lee and Collier counties, another publisher branded his publications with “Gulfshore.”

We stayed with Gulf Coast Business Review anyway and endured.

Until now.

Our new name, as you see in the issue below is Business Observer. The website also goes from Review.net to BusinessObserverFL.com.

There is a lot behind this.

For one, we felt it was time to shake things up; get out of the routine; make a new statement; refresh and rebrand our identity.

Business Observer works for us because it brands us with our company — Sarasota-based Observer Media Group Inc. In addition to the Business Observer, our company publishes seven community weeklies, six of which go by the name “Observer” — Longboat, East County and Sarasota in Greater Sarasota; and Palm Coast, Plant City and Ormond Beach. (We also publish the Pelican Press on Siesta Key.)

All too often Business Review reporters felt compelled to explain themselves to news sources in Greater Sarasota that “you know ... we're part of the Observers.” No more.

The new name also eliminates any confusion with “Gulfshore” or people who think the “Gulf Coast” means the Gulf Coast of Alabama and Mississippi.

Along with the new name, it made sense to introduce a new, freshened design. That's important in every business. Customers expect you to continue evolving and improving. Years ago, as a reporter, I profiled the CEO of a bullet-manufacturer. When he arrived at the company, sales were flat; the company wasn't growing. Two years into his tenure, sales started increasing at double-digit rates. Asked his secret: Same bullets, new features. “You have to give them something new to keep them hooked,” he said. That's why Proctor & Gamble always introduces “new Tide.”
You have to stay fresh and relevant.

I'm betting you'll like our new design in print, the expert work and vision of Steve Antley, a Lakeland freelancer.

We believe it's important to keep it clean, simple and easy to navigate. Our headline fonts in the paper have what we believe to be a more modern look and feel. Managing Editor Kat Hughes says they're “more playful” than our previous, heavy fonts.

We think we've improved navigation — helping you figure out what to read — with our story summaries on our new page 1 and with key words above the headlines and brief decks that summarize stories. On the real estate pages, you'll see how we have color-highlighted the most important information.

We'll continue to have compelling photography, a crucial element to your reading experience and enjoyment.

We also have added a weekly summary of what's popular and important on BusinessObserverFL.com, looping the print back to the Web.

The look of the website is changing, too. It's more than “new Tide”; it's new and improved. But that's still to come. As technology glitches go, we encountered a few that pushed back the launch of our new BusinessObserverFL.com site. Although we've modified the homepage for now, in weeks to come you'll see a much more dynamic and richer website, with features, daily news, business resources and opportunities for content marketing.

Altogether, we're paying a lot of attention to your “experience” with our print and digital offerings. Our mission hasn't changed: to publish for our readers and advertisers the best, most relevant business publication in Florida.

We say we're Florida's weekly paper for the C-suite. We're guided every day by the simple mantra of publishing information “that the boss needs to know.”

We'll be anxious to hear your feedback. While the new name matters, in the end, as we say in the business, content is king.