Vancouver’s Co-operative Auto Network (CAN) has rebranded itself with the catchier name Modo as a way to better compete in the growing car-sharing sector.
The name, devised by Vancouver design and branding consultancy Cause + Affect, is intended to simplify CAN’s cumbersome moniker.
“It was really important for us to find a name that was fresh, easy to say and easy to pronounce,” Modo marketing director Bernice Paul told Business in Vancouver March 11.
“We’ve had trouble in the past being known as CAN, the Co-operative Auto Network, the Car Co-op, what have you. People just weren’t sure what we were called or how to look us up.”
Paul likes the name Modo because, she said, it is a new word in English and has no meaning.
“This is a fabulous opportunity to take control and make the word ‘Modo’ mean what we want it to mean: multi-modal transportation, modern, modality, mobility,” Paul said.
“We see ourselves as part of the whole sustainable transportation network. I think Modo and the imagery and supporting messages that Cause + Affect came up with really works with who we believe we are.”
Paul said the City of Vancouver has designated 15 on-street parking spots for Modo drivers. The company also has a few spots each in North Vancouver, Burnaby and New Westminster that are provided by the municipal governments for a nominal fee that the company incorporates into its monthly and per-use charges.
Massachusetts-based Zipcar Inc. is Modo’s main competitor. Zipcar has less than half as many vehicles in Vancouver as Modo but it has more members.
Zipcar has more than 11,000 members in the city; Modo has over 7,000.
Modo’s membership growth has also stagnated in comparison with Zipcar, perhaps because Zipcar has been faster off the mark launching features such as an iPhone app that enables users to extend reservations.