Why is Radisson Blu not Radisson Blue?
Radisson Hotel Group, owner of luxury hotel chain Radisson Blu hotels, currently has nine hotel groups. These hotels; Radisson Collection, Radisson Blu, Radisson, Radisson RED, Radisson Individuals, Park Plaza, Park Inn by Radisson, Country Inn & Suites by Radisson and prizeotel. Each hotel chain offers services in different concepts, targeting a wide range of consumers.
In this article, we will review Radisson Blu brand name. Radisson Blu brand was born in 2009 when Radisson SAS was rebranded as Radisson Blu. The owner of the hotel, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, changed its brand name to Radisson Hotel Group in 2018.
Gordon McKinnon, Rezidor’s Executive Vice President of Brands in 2009, stated that the name Blu emerged as the most natural choice from Rezidor’s intensively researched quest to find the right new visual differentiator to replace the familiar SAS ‘blue box’.
Gordon McKinnon also stated about the rebranding of Radisson SAS to Radisson Blu:
“The name Blu started life as the project’s working title. But it soon became apparent that it was actually the most natural of choices. It’s simple, it’s short, it’s relevant and we’ve applied it in a way that adds a certain modernity to the identity without taking it too far”
“Most importantly it also promotes our specific brand heritage by preserving the graphic ‘blue box’ which has become the recognised symbol of the distinctive characteristics of the Radisson brand in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Radisson Blu preserves the continuity of our unique brand, while taking it that one essential step forward to more accurately represent its true position and future ambitions.”
The name Blu is a name created with a “different spelling method” by dropping the letter “e” at the end of Blue. We see such a preference in the branding of the word flicker as flickr.
Which one would you prefer? Blue or blu?
A brand name should be distinctive and avoid using generic words. If necessary, it should be created by making minor changes on the generic words. The Radisson Blu brand name exactly brings this method to fruition. In addition, the Blu logo is written inside the blue box, giving you a visual message about the color blue when you look at the logo. It allows our minds to associate Blu with the color blue. Therefore, we can say that it is a successful brand name choice.
Since we are moving forward with colors. Let’s say something about Radisson RED, another hotel chain of Radisson Hotel Group.
By focusing on common areas such as bars, lobbies and boldly colored interiors, Radisson Red hotels target guests with an “ageless millennial mindset” that including more art, music and fashion into its service.
In the promotional film on Radisson RED’s website, we encounter the slogan NOT A COLOR, RED IS STYLE. The color red is presented here as a style indicator, referring to art, music, fashion and millennial mindset.
Radisson RED, successfully reflects the message it wants to convey with its brand name in the service it offers.
