Mobile Payments Provider Hanse Orga Group Rebrands After Mountain Range

Sometimes, for one reason or another—some reasons are better for a company’s health than others—a company rebrands, changing its name or basic premise from one to another. Sometimes it works well, like when Pabst Blue Ribbon hit China, changed its formula, and got aged in oak whiskey barrels before selling for $44 a bottle. Sometimes, not so much, like “New Coke”. Another rebranding has hit the mobile payments world, as Hanse Orga Group made the jump to Serrala instead.

If both of these sound like word salads to you, don’t worry, there’s a rationale behind it all. Serrala is actually a take on “Sierra de la Serrella,” a Spanish mountain range that tends to represent solidarity and stability to many in the region. It also plays on the Hindi word “Saral,” which means “simple.” The rebranding is set to come with a new logo, and a redesigned website, both looking to showcase process automation.

Therefore, by taking a name connected to both simplicity and stability, Hanse Orga plans to go from what sounds like a minor character in a “Star Wars” film to a name that people associate with calming elements of life. This in turn should make them a little less hesitant about parking their money with Serrala.

If the name weren’t enough, the current user base might help; Serrala supports over 2,500 companies looking to smooth out and simplify payments processes, from the order-to-cash to treasury-to-data. It’s got offices on three continents, with 16 separate offices, proving it’s a global concern on par with the best of them.

Rebranding is a dangerous game. In at least some cases, users will wonder why the company rebranded, and if it did so to shrug off a less-than-savory past. That was one of the biggest problems for Philip Morris’ rebrand to Altria, with people convinced that Philip Morris was desperately trying to hide the point that it rose to corporate might peddling cigarettes. Rebranding can work, though, especially if the companies involved are open about the process.

Whether or not Serrala’s attempt to get a halo effect from a mountain range in Spain actually works is a matter only time will tell. It’s not a bad idea, but it’s also the kind of idea that’s failed before.