Intel Security reverts back to McAfee, despite some controversy surrounding the name.
Global security software company Intel Security has gone back to its original title of McAfee as part of a larger rebrand. Originally founded back in 1987, McAfee took its name from its founder and former software tycoon John McAfee. However, McAfee's scandalous personal life resulted in the company being renamed Intel Security in 2014.
This is all apparently water under the bridge now though, as the company is returning to its original name. Accompanying this rebrand is a new logo design and wordmark that retains elements from the old regime.
The decision to reinstate the McAfee name wasn't made lightly, as the team were keenly aware of the baggage associated with it. "It is something we definitely considered," says Allison Cerra, chief marketing officer at Intel Security. "But John McAfee has not been associated with this company for 25 years.
"What we found is that no matter the market, no matter the segment, 'McAfee' is synonymous with cyber security, because in our industry we have a thousand competitors vying for the cyber security wallet," Cerra adds. "When you are consistently well-known across multiple geographies and across multiple segments that is huge brand equity value that you can take to the bank."
How McAfee looked before the rebrand
Created in collaboration with Solid Branding, the rebrand includes a new name, logo and tagline. The familiar shield icon is no more, but the red colour scheme is carried over.
Backed-up by extensive consumer research, the team at McAfee are confident that people are aware that John McAfee is no longer associated with the company.
"To be candid, our identity does not want to be anything other than a stable company or trusted provider in this space," says Cerra. "We did not aggressively seek the spotlight. That is not our motto as a company. It is with precision that we took care to research this to make sure it would not be an impediment or headwind for us as a company."
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Dom Carter is a freelance writer who specialises in art and design. Formerly a staff writer for Creative Bloq, his work has also appeared on Creative Boom and in the pages of ImagineFX, Computer Arts, 3D World, and .net. He has been a D&AD New Blood judge, and has a particular interest in picture books.
