What’s in a name? Oil partnerships point to more than remnants of empire

THIS WEEK SAW the announcement that BP is selling its stake in its JV with TNK to Rosneft prompting Frontiers to ask whether from a branding and sponsorship perspective these names, acronyms and the history behind them matters. In the days of empire, it was commonplace (and good business sense) to reference the country in the company name. Now, with the global marketplace, it doesn’t suit companies in the same way hence for example, British Gas, Telecom or Petroleum becoming BG, BT and BP and in France, Electricité de France becoming EDF.