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Sears by any other name not as sweet, says Chicago
(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-07-17 09:49 CHICAGO: It took two years to erect what was once the tallest building in the world. It may take a bit longer for the public to take to its new name. The 36-year-old Sears Tower Thursday became the Willis Tower, named after the world's third-largest insurance broker, Willis Group Holdings Ltd.
Public relations experts, academics and local historians said it could take decades for the new name of the 110-story skyscraper to take its place in the public consciousness. "The Sears Tower is not just a Chicago landmark, it's a national landmark that's known around the world," said Aaron Perlut, a managing partner at St. Louis-based PR agency Elasticity. "We see it on our TVs, in movies and magazines, so it is part of pop culture." "Gaining public acceptance of renaming the Sears Tower will be extremely challenging," he added. "Even with a very long, integrated marketing campaign we could be looking at a 20- to 30-year period." Protesters of the name change started a website, www.itsthesearstower.com, boasting 34,000 signatures on an online petition. Willis' chief executive said he understood the fuss after the original name-change announcement in March, but said the firm, which has leased some 13,000 sq m in the skyscraper, is committed to Chicago. Joe Plumeri, the CEO of London-headquartered Willis Group, acknowledged it could take time to win over Chicagoans. "Nothing big is easy," he said. The 442 meters sleek, black skyscraper was commissioned by Sears Holdings Corp, once America's largest retailer, at a cost of more than $175 million.
Even after Sears departed, the tower that tops Chicago's impressive skyline kept its name, attracting thousands daily to gape from its observation skydeck, the highest in the Western Hemisphere. This is the prize Willis seeks. "When you have the chance to have your name attached to a building of that stature, it really says something about your company," Plumeri said. Willis is paying about $24 million a year for the office space. Details on the price for the naming rights have not been disclosed. Plumeri, for one, said he does not mind tongue-in-cheek references to Willis Tower as "Big Willie". Willis' entry will be accompanied by a burst of philanthropy: $100,000 donations to Chicago's bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games and to a local volunteer organization. Timothy Calkins, a marketing professor at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, said the formal name change may reignite public outcry. "I fear an abrupt change will result in a negative backlash," he said. "People have strong feelings about this." Locals on the street appeared to share that opinion. "Why are we letting a British company do this to our biggest landmark?" said Shelley Anderson, 32, an office clerk. "It's the Sears Tower. It always will be." Reuters |
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