Nokia renames Ovi brand to ‘Nokia’
As one door closes, another opens…
Mobile giant Nokia today announced it would be abandoning its Ovi brand name, replacing it simply with ‘Nokia’ in order to “leverage the high-value of the Nokia master brand”.
Ovi, the all-encompassing brand name for the company’s internet services – and the Finnish word for ‘door’ - is set to be phased out, with the ‘new’ Nokia brand being introduced in July of this year.
“It is important to reiterate that we are changing the name of our services from Ovi to Nokia, not closing them,” a post on the official Ovi blog explains. “This space will continue to be an important source for news, trends and tips for mobile experiences enjoyed by millions of the Nokia faithful.”
The rebranding will continue into next year, “with the intention of it being completed by the end of 2012,” continued the Ovi blog.
The decision may be linked to the company’s recent deal with Microsoft, which saw Windows Phone 7 become the primary smartphone OS for Nokia.
Ovi users needn’t be concerned about any disruption in service, as Nokia explained: ”The only difference consumers can expect to see is the replacement of the brand Ovi with Nokia, not only on their device software and the web but also in other places.”
