Network Solutions, a long-time player (and a solid one at that) in the website hosting business, was recently rebranded.

Although I'd love to comment on some of my thoughts/confusion on their new logo, let's keep away from the subjective and look solely at the objective strategy & positioning of their recent rebrand.

For starters, I can say one positive is their overall look and feel. While being a bit on the generic web 2.0 side, it does add a more sophisticated look to a web hosting company – something that stands out relative to their competitors.

Their redesigned site is also easier to navigate – another positive move.

But the biggest strategic shift may be the way they have both bundled and named their services. They've moved away from terms like "Domain Name", "Ecommerce", and even "Email" – and instead created a branding platform that adds their "ns" in front of each and every one of their service offerings.

• Rather than using an industry term like, "Domain", they've opted for "nsWebAddress™".
• Instead of "Email", they're calling it "nsMail™" (and if you want to upgrade to business class, its "nsMail™ Pro").
• Instead of "Ecommerce", its now "nsCommerceSpace™".

Their formula: take an existing term that's been used for years, modify it slightly, add an "ns" in front…and presto – you've got yourself a uniquely branded service!

Well, not really.

I'm not sure these names do anything at all, other than confuse and create more terminology to an already over-saturated web vernacular.

So let's hear it…hit me back with your thoughts on their approach…

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