Though once a prestigious brand name, the AOL moniker has now become more of a universal target for scorn, a scarlet letter, if you will. But unless you're looking carefully, you'll likely miss the fact that the new
Asylum website for young men is a creation of the company. Same for
WalletPop on personal finance,
Spinner on indie music and
StyleList on fashion. These days, the AOL brand is taking a back seat as the company quietly launches dozens of sites targeted at specialized audiences.
AOL figures that to grow its audiences - and draw additional advertising the company crucially needs to offset plunging revenue from its shrinking base of Internet access subscribers - it must break from a one-size-fits-all model and let its specialty sites set their own designs and editorial tone, shedding the AOL brand when necessary. "
AOL currently implies legacy. It implies old. It implies out of date," said Rob Enderle, an industry analyst with the Enderle Group. "
If you want to attract a new, young audience to a site, attaching 'AOL' is probably a kiss of death. They are wise to use the new individual property brands."
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