From Rapala fishing lures to the Maytag repairman, the work of Carmichael Lynch Spong has been about building brands.
Now, the Minneapolis public relations agency is rebuilding its own brand.
On Tuesday, Carmichael Lynch Spong changed its name to Spong after being linked by name for 23 years to its sister advertising agency, Carmichael Lynch.
"In this day and age, brand clarity is so important especially if you are in the branding business," Spong founder and President Doug Spong said in an interview. "We're making this move to avoid confusion between Spong and Carmichael Lynch."
Spong, with 60 employees, has consistently ranked as one of the top public relations outfits in the Twin Cities.
Under its former name, Spong was selected as "Creative Agency of the Year" for 2013 by the Holmes Report, a respected national trade journal. The agency also is a four-time "agency of the year" award winner from trade journals including PRWeek and PR News.
Still, it was decided that Spong needed its own identity in order to grow and attract new clients.
"I think this is a really good idea," said Steve Wehrenberg, director of the professional master's program in strategic communication at the University of Minnesota School of Journalism and Mass Communication. "Doug is the brand in many respects, and it allows them to leverage his profile."