New York energy services firm Total Energy Corp. thinks its namehas become so attractive, so “unforgettable” in this age of energyconvergence that others will put up top dollar to make it theirown. The company announced it plans to auction the name in the nextseveral weeks.

While brand names and branded products and services have beenpurchased as part of a franchise by distributors, Total Energy’sconsultant Richard J. Rudden, admits he’s never heard of a companybuying another’s brand name outright. New York gas distributorOrange and Rockland, for example, purchased a SimpleChoicefranchise from en*able, a joint venture of KN Energy andPacifiCorp, and is distributing the SimpleChoice branded productsand services to its customers. Rudden, who is president of R.J.Rudden Associates, said, however, “[I]t’s nothing for a largenational energy company to spend tens of millions of dollars onbrand imaging.”

Enron did it. Others are working on it. But developing a”distinctive brand name is growing more difficult every day,” saidRudden. “Without question there are virtually no powerful brandnames remaining for use in the energy industry.” Total Energy hasthe potential to become as widely known in the “new energy markets”as Kleenex, Toys ‘R’ Us and Coca Cola are in other markets,according to Rudden.

And demand for the name apparently has been hot. The decision tosell the name was prompted by inquiries from several nationalenergy companies who discussed using the Total Energy brand fortheir established business units and “soon-to-be-formed unregulatedsubsidiaries.” Names of the interested national energy firms werenot released. But one gas company intended to use the name for anew alliance with an electric company, said Rudden.

Total Energy President Robert Armentano has no doubt the salewill be a success. The buyer will “gain a powerful brand name thatis ideal for a company whose vision is to emerge as a premierenergy provider in this era of deregulation.” The company intendsto advertise its name over the next four to six weeks and then sendout a request for proposals to begin an auction in a couple months.

Rocco Canonica

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