Willis Tower? Addams Tollway? Old names still stick after renaming
Old habits die hard.
It's going to be a long time - maybe forever - before people start calling the Sears Tower by its new name, Willis Tower (or, as fans of the TV show Diff'rent Strokes jokingly call it, "The watchoo talkin' 'bout Willis Tower").
Just take a look at the dozens of suburban places popularly known by names that don't technically exist anymore - the Rosemont Horizon, Palwaukee Airport or the East-West tollway. And there's still an active, angry group protesting the name change from Marshall Field's to Macy's.
London-based Willis Group Holdings is getting a lot of flack for daring to rename a Chicago icon. The company paid more than $2 million for 140,000 square feet of office space in America's tallest building, and no extra money was paid for the naming rights. The company will consolidate its five Chicago area offices, including one in Lombard and one in Oak Brook, and move 500 employees into the space.
Corporate branding experts aren't sure why Willis - a global retail insurance broker that doesn't deal directly with consumers - opted to change the building's name.
"It's ego," surmised Bob Killian, CEO of Killian Advertising, a Chicago firm that specializes in corporate branding.
Willis spokesman Will Thoretz says the company is sympathetic to the emotional connection to the Sears name but the company sees this as an opportunity to raise its profile in an important business market. "This is a new day, and over time, Chicagoans may come to embrace the Willis name," Thoretz said.
Companies spend millions of dollars on naming rights for certain buildings in hopes that repeated name use will help its marketing efforts. But the plan can backfire, especially when landmarks are involved, Killian said.
"This will be a blip compared to when Wrigley Field gets renamed," he added.
What's in a name?
Dozens of places, especially malls, tollways and sports arenas, have attempted to make name changes that never caught on with the public.
class="News"> The actual name What many still call it Chicago Executive Airport Palwaukee Airport Jane Addams Tollway Northwest Tollway or just 90 Ronald Reagan Tollway East-West Tollway, I-88 or I-5 U.S. Cellular Field Comiskey Park or Sox park Allstate Arena The Rosemont Horizon Macy's Marshall Field's First Midwest Bank Amphitheater World Music Theater Westfield Hawthorn Shopping Center Hawthorn Mall Christian Liberty Academy The old Arlington High School University of Illinois at Springfield Sangamon State University United Center Chicago Stadium John G. Woods Municipal Campus Arlington Heights village hall Veterans Memorial Tollway I-355