A towering habit to break

The Willis Tower

The sleek black building that looms over the Chicago skyline has for 36 years been instantly recognizable as the Sears Tower. That is until today. The 110-story building - once the world's tallest, now the tallest in the Western Hemisphere - today became the Willis Tower. Question is - will people use the new name or will the old name reign supreme? Some habits are hard to break.

Naming right deals on stadiums, schools and subway stations (Barclay's Bank recently bought subway naming rights in Brooklyn, N.Y.) have become popular over the last 20 years. Corporate identities upon major skyscrapers and office buildings have been around much longer. The goal of all of these deals is to increase brand awareness for the sponsor and draw attention to their association with the city where the building is located.

Many of the naming deals are for 10 or 20 years and the more senior of the deals are beginning to reach maturity. Many original sponsors are choosing not to renew deals in this difficult economy leaving stadiums and skyscrapers open to strike new deals with new, sometimes eager partners. The switch in Chicago was part of the deal struck by Willis Group Holdings, an insurance brokerage with offices in New York and London, when it leased 150,000 square feet in the famous skyscraper.

Many Chicagoans say that they will continue to refer to the tower as Sears Tower. The nod is more habit than acknowledgement of the retailer. Sears actually vacated its space in the tower almost 20 years ago in a dash for the suburbs. Local Chicago community leaders say that it will take years to change the Sears name from signage, tourist and subway maps and brochures.

The iconic nature of the building will also make it difficult to change in minds and memories of the millions of people who have visited the building over the last 37 years.

So I wonder if the deal is worth it for Willis, an international insurance broker who has had a presence in the United States since 1885.

People throughout the Midwest still refer to retailer Macy's locations as Marshall Fields, the longtime brand that was swallowed by the Macys chain in 2006. In Nashville the city's area is almost always referred to as the Nashville Arena despite having had two different corporate monikers over the past ten years - the current name is the Sommet Center.

Maybe Willis will have better luck, but somehow I doubt it. I think the Sears Tower will live on for a long time to come! Old habits are hard to break!