Coinstar, Inc. (CSTR), Kraft Foods Group Inc (KRFT), Netflix, Inc. (NFLX) & The Three Silliest Company Name Changes Ever

The company helped come up with the idea by having an internal naming contest, in which more than 1,000 workers submitted ideas. Testing among groups of consumers didn’t come up with any obvious negative associations, although some noted a similarity to a Russian word with undesirable associations.

Will Coinstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSTR) be No. 4?
Many investors have thought that Coinstar should change its name, but most expected Redbox to be the obvious choice for a new moniker, given the company’s evolution beyond coin-counting to its DVD kiosks and its Redbox Instant streaming service. Coinstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSTR) CEO Scott Di Valerio said that Outerwall “unifies our growing portfolio of products and services under one name and reflects the company’s ongoing commitment to think beyond the limits to make a better everyday possible for everyone.” Whether shareholders end up agreeing at their annual meeting in June remains to be seen, but it’s far from clear how the name reflects “future vision and limitless possibilities” — and could end up leading to less brand-name awareness for the company.

The article The 3 Silliest Company Name Changes Ever originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Dan Caplinger has no position in any stocks mentioned. You can follow him on Twitter: @DanCaplinger. The Motley Fool recommends Netflix. The Motley Fool owns shares of Netflix and Philip Morris International.

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