When the YMCA announced earlier this month that it was rebranding the agency as simply the "Y" and introduced a new logo, the process followed more than two years of analysis and research.

The change to the Y aims to align the organization, which was founded in Britain as the Young Men's Christian Association 166 years ago, with how most people now refer to it. And what it calls its more "forward-looking" logo will reflect the vibrancy and diversity of the organization and a framework that focuses resources on three areas: youth development, healthy living and social responsibility.

The Y's name change follows many other businesses and agencies that have recently streamlined their identities: KFC, NPR, AARP, to name a few.

But what the Y's two years of analysis and research failed to recognize was the apparent confusion its new name might create with another agency -- the YWCA.

The YWCA sent out a statement last week saying the name change is just going to befuddle the public because it's also known as the Y.

The YWCA, founded in 1858, was the first women's organization in the United States and focuses on the empowerment of women and girls. It went through its own rebranding a few years ago as "a way of refreshing the agency's identity to the public," said Lorraine Cole, YWCA USA's CEO in Washington, D.C.

"Rebranding from time to time is particularly important for organizations like YWCA that have a footprint in three centuries. Over the course of 150 years, organizations evolve, graphic styles change, and there is a need to reintroduce the organization to new generations," she said.

But greater recognition hasn't prevented most people from assuming the Ys are related.

"We have faced confusion between the two communities since the day I got here [nine years ago]," said Deb Moore Ellsworth, associate vice president of marketing and membership for the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh.

Both have been called the Y in the past, and in some towns, the two groups have merged.

They are separate operations in Pittsburgh. The YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh has 16 locations in the region and runs two summer camps; the YWCA Greater Pittsburgh has five locations.

The YWCA's statement last week sought to clarify its identity: "Since its inception, the YWCA core focus is the empowerment of women and girls, as well as racial justice. ... Unlike YWCA, YMCA's core focus is on youth development, health and fitness, and social responsibility. YMCA is not as strongly connected to the civil rights and women's issues as YWCA."

"It's apples and oranges," Ms. Moore Ellsworth said. "There is just that misconception that because both of us start with a Y, we are connected."

Different mission statements, different approaches to change, said Dr. Cole: "The different approaches to rebranding taken by YWCA and YMCA do not signal philosophical differences between the organizations, but rather responses to public identity needs.

"Most often the public associates YWCA with pools and fitness programs. People are often surprised to learn, for instance, that YWCA is one of the largest providers of domestic violence shelters and child care services."

Cone LLC is a Boston-based company that does market analysis of branding strength. Cone has the YMCA of USA ranked at the top; the YWCA is No. 95. It developed these rankings by combining media audits over two years with surveys of 1,000 consumers, as well as looking at financial strength, nonprofit support base and the geographic reach of nonprofits.

"A lot of what put the YMCA at the top of the list was direct public support," said Andrea List, Cone senior insights associate.

Of course, the public's reaction to name recognition is important, too.

After British Petroleum rebranded itself as BP in 2001, it adopted the tagline "Beyond Petroleum."

But as recent events show, there's no escaping the image of oil -- millions of gallons of it -- mucking up the Gulf of Mexico.

"People will say that 'first impressions are lasting impressions,' but in reality, all impressions matter," said Robert Adam, founder and CEO of Pittsburgh-based AF&A Brandtelligence, which specializes in brand development and marketing.

Businesses, sports franchises and even cities undergo rebranding all the time. Most, thankfully, don't find themselves in BP's situation.

Some, such as Holiday Inn, have spent huge amounts of money updating their product and want a corporate and public image to match. Others just feel the need to refresh the image every so often; think the City of Las Vegas, which went from Rat Pack gambling paradise to family friendly to "What Happens in Vegas ..." Sin City in less than 30 years.

Sometimes, rebranding is more than just a current reflection of the organization. More than 10 years ago, AARP dropped "retired" from its official name because more than half of its over-50 membership was not, in fact, retired.

But what to make of KFC -- which also still uses Kentucky Fried Chicken -- as a legal name? If KFC is trying to project a more health-conscious image by dropping the "fried," perhaps it had better stop introducing items such as the "Double Down," two boneless chicken filets sandwiching cheese and bacon.

Rebranding, Mr. Adam said, is not a simple process.

"The mistake a lot of people make is thinking it's just about a name," he said. "Branding is really the wall, the foundation. And the naming, the advertising, the logos, the website -- all those touchpoints are really bricks in the wall."

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