July 21, 2010 | Read Time: 2 minutes
The YMCA’s decision, announced this month, to adopt its popular nickname, the Y, as its name elicited an earnest, if not worried, response from the YWCA, the organization sometimes called “the other Y.”
In a written statement titled “The Tale of two ‘Y’s,’” the YWCA pointedly explained the differences in history and mission between the two organizations, which were each separately established more than 150 years ago. The YMCA’s core focus, the statement explains, is on youth development, health, fitness, and social responsibility.
The YWCA’s central purpose, by contrast, is as a provider of social services for girls and women and as an advocate for racial justice and human rights. The YWCA typically uses the money it generates from its health and fitness programs to pay for its work in civil rights and on women’s issues.
Lorraine Cole, chief executive of the YWCA USA, says it is too soon to determine whether the YMCA’s name change will deepen the public’s confusion between the two organizations. When the YWCA rebranded itself a few years ago, it considered a variety of options, including using the nickname often used internally, YW. But, says Ms. Cole, the YWCA went instead with a logo change that incorporated phrases about the organization’s mission: “eliminating racism, empowering women”.
The YMCA’s move does not raise trademark issues, Ms. Cole says, because the letter Y cannot be trademarked. In fact, she points out, the nickname, the Y, is also associated with other organizations, such as the YMHA and YWHA.
“There are no plans to push any particular alternative distinction,” Ms. Cole says in an e-mail message about the YWCA’s reaction to the YMCA’s new name. “However, if any such distinction emerges, ‘Y for Women’ would be more descriptive and preferable than ‘the Other Y.’”
What’s your view of the marketing strategies? Will the move to a single-letter name create confusion? How should the YWCA respond? Join the discussion by posting your comments below.
