What's in a Name?

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By Rose Strong

It’s been a tough year for companies and organizations that use the name ISIS.

When I was a youngster, Isis was the name of a deity in Egyptian mythology, the goddess of health and wisdom. As I grew up, the name also referred to Isis, the female superhero in the TV show, Secrets of Isis.

Today, according to CNN, ISIS stands for Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. The splinter group of the terrorist organization Al Qaeda is also known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant and just as Islamic State, and gained notoriety after videos were posted online depicting the group’s barbaric and gruesome killings of western hostages.

Given this political backdrop, executives at companies that share a name or otherwise use the acronym ISIS have scrambled to find ways to distance themselves from the newest appropriation of the name. It is a difficult predicament for any business to be in, considering this name / acronym usage isn’t something easily controlled by the business itself.

A condo development in West Palm Beach, FL changed its name from ISIS Downtown to 3 Thirty Three Downtown.

A Belgian chocolate company changed its name from ISIS Chocolates to Libeert after their international customers were unable to carry the chocolates because of the negative connotation associated with the name.

Even the animated television series Archer had to rename an organization within the show as the producers didn't want to associate with the violence and horror of the terrorist group.

A few companies using the acronym of ISIS are making a conscious decision not to change their name. A feminist group affiliated with Fordham University has decided to keep the name ISIS which stands for In Strength I Stand. "People know who we are. Nobody thinks we are in any way an Islamic terror nationalist group. So I really don't see a need to change it because of that," Wallis Monday, the group's president told New York Magazine.

Rebranding is a huge undertaking. Oftentimes, a new mission statement must be developed to coincide with the core values, which may change from time to time as the business changes with the times and its demographics. When you consider having to redesign stationery, packaging, logos, websites, advertising and any other collateral a company uses for its brand identification, a rebranding project can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars as well as a potential loss of customers.

Of course, there are times when rebranding is needed. As a company grows over time, it may evolve to offer new products or services, or may be making a push towards gaining a new client demographic, or may want to keep up with a change in trends and fashions. Other businesses rebrand because the business name doesn't fit or it is easily confused with something else or is unpronounceable or in the case of ISIS, to change the negative connotations consumers may have.

Have you ever rebranded your business? Would you change the name of your company if it had unwelcome negative associations with forces you couldn't control? Let us know in the comments below, what you think about this predicament and how you’d handle it.

Yes, We Felt Dirty – And Oh So Good

By Kim Tarasiewicz

Wearing neon yellow reflective pinnies, rubber gloves, and boots and carrying large green trash bags. Not a normal day in the office for us – or out of the office, for that matter. What were we doing? Roadside cleanup of course! Furia Rubel took a few hours to beautify our world by walking the road that runs along our office, picking up trash.

Yes, we do have one of those signs that reads “Adopt A Road – Litter Control” with our company name on it, but that’s not for advertising; Furia Rubel originally developed the local adopt-a-road program to celebrate our tenth year in business and we won’t be one of those companies that keeps the sign up without doing the work. Most of us travel the busy road next to the office each day, and we want to keep our area looking good.

With the Doylestown Township police department escort providing flashing lights for safety, our team set out to fill our bags. We quickly grabbed sticks to try and gather hard to reach items, entangled in the brush. As I donned my red rubber boots, and climbed over guardrails, I realized just how much trash lurked below the visible surface of the road. I grew up in Bucks County, and lived in New York City after college, and it still amazes me why anyone would chose to litter in either place.
In the city, there is always a trash can within arm’s reach and, in the suburbs, if you’re driving in your car and have trash, either keep a trash bag in the car or take it home to throw away properly.

In true competitive Furia Rubel fashion, we decided to make it interesting and see who could find the strangest trash. There was plenty of the usual – beer cans, fast food containers, and more cigarette butts than we could possibly count in an afternoon. But the other items we found were peculiar at best. Among the items in contention for winning were a sign for a painting company, feminine hygiene unmentionables, and a car key remote, but the winner was…a pair of dirty long underwear.

We try to be “green” at Furia Rubel; we recycle, of course, and turn off the lights and equipment when they’re not in use. We don’t print documents unless we have to, and when we do, we often reuse scrap paper in the printers. Those “Save the Earth” campaigns don’t seem to be as popular anymore. Many of us remember the 1970’s commercial with the crying Native American, but when is the last time you remember seeing a similar commercial reminding you not to litter? After picking up other people’s trash, I think our team would agree that the public could use another reminder like that commercial.

When we were done with our roadside walk, we had bags full of garbage, including the long underwear. The area looked great and we felt accomplished, but now, more than a week later, I see a few new pieces of trash as I drive to work in the morning. Here’s hoping that the visual of us on the road, cleaning up the mess, makes people think before they litter.

Great Career Webpage = Great Talent

By Kim Tarasiewicz

Do you really want to hire the best talent for your company? Is your website HR friendly? Does your company career page invite applicants or turn them away?

For many companies, updating the career opportunities page isn’t high on the priority list, but it should be. While it’s true that there is currently a high number of people looking for employment, the number of top candidates looking for jobs has essentially remained the same. Investing time in improving your career webpage will help you attract great applicants rather than random resumes that don’t qualify.

Here are a few ideas to improve a career webpage:

• Reflect the company’s personality. First impressions mean a lot – on both sides of the hiring fence so share your vision and history, but also why it’s a great place to work. By the time the prospect comes in for an interview, they will already love your company.



• Make it easy to use. It sounds obvious but too many clicks to find the job posting could make the candidate loose interest. Be sure to have a link to the career page clearly visible on each Web page when possible and on the home page at the very least. Allow people to send resumes even if no positions are available; it will keep your talent pool current for those unexpected openings.


• Use technology. In today’s digital world, 70 percent of job seekers use smartphones to search for positions, so be sure to have a mobile version of your website for them to access. Adding industry keywords to the career page also can improve search engine optimization for your company’s website, helping it land on the first page of search results.


• Build social media links. Icons on the career page for Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn help increase networking and sharing of your job openings on social media platforms and provide free recruiting for the position. This is a powerful way to increase your company’s brand awareness and attract potential candidates.



• Change it up. Look at most companies’ career pages and they all look the same. Adding something different to the page can keep people viewing it longer. An FAQ section, videos or the latest company blog will also create a positive experience for users.


• Keep it current. There is nothing worse than finding the perfect job listing only to find out it’s six months old. Keeping old postings on your website will make your company look dated and leave a bad impression for job seekers.

Many companies still are conservative on hiring, so why waste time with an influx of resumes from applicants that don’t fit or are just going through the motions of sending out resumes with no real interest in your company? By using these tips, you can begin to cull the list of applicants before they even reach your inbox. Elevate your company’s image by finding the right talent the first time around and increase brand awareness at the same time.