They Are Coming For Us!

In my last post, I talked about some upcoming changes to my beloved Sci-Fi channel. Apparently, beginning June 7th, the company will operate under a different name, Syfy. Though phonetically the same, Syfy is intended to encompass a wider range of thematic material than Sci-Fi and, supposedly, allows the company greater opportunity to own and control their brand.

Anyway, when I last wrote on this topic, I was not the happiest camper. For one, the different spelling doesn’t make the Sci-Fi channel cooler. With the exception of some notable critical and popular hits, specifically Battlestar Galactica, the sight is very much populated by a niche audience. I’m not entirely sure that changing the name will expand that audience without a dramatic change in content. Unfortunately, if the content changes, Sci-Fi would be alienating its core audience, thus biting the hand that feeds it.

As I contemplated these potential dilemmas, I shared my blog post on Twitter. A few hours later, I received an @reply from Mr. Craig Engler (@Craigatscifi), the Senior Vice President and G.M. of Sci-Fi Digital. In his tweet, Craig said, essentially, “Be cool. Sci-Fi is going to still be awesome. Just because we’re changing the name doesn’t mean everything is going be different.”

So why am I sharing this with you all? Well, it’s made me reevaluate my opinion on the Sci-Fi/Syfy crossover. While I still don’t think it was the best strategic marketing decision (even the branding agency working with Sci-Fi has distanced themselves from it), I admire that Craig is out there in the social media space answering people’s questions about the change. It takes guts to engage one’s critics, especially when dealing with an issue that has swirled up so much heated debate.

Of course, my opinion isn’t the only one that matters. (At least not on this issue.) What do you think? Does Craig Engler’s Twittered promises give you hope that Syfy won’t be all that bad, or are you still bummed about the change? Let me know in the comments.

Check out the screencaps of me and Craig’s Twitter exchange below.