Corporate name changes can be tricky. Especially, when a company buys another and the name being rolled out is completely new to the market.

In Panama City, I was lucky enough to witness Telefonica’s roll out of its Movistar service. While I have issues with the name (read on), I thought the rollout was brilliant.

About a month ago, the ‘M’s started appearing all over Panama City. Green and yellow, or blue and light blue, biomorphic, the graphic appeared on bus stops on Avenida Balboa, on buses then finally, next door to my office on what had been the BellSouth building.

I knew that BellSouth had been purchased by Telefonica, but didn’t know the new name. The M campaign was worked. It built anticipation. The Ms spoke for themselves.

Last week, when the Movistar name was formally introduced, the M continued to appear in words like “Creeme” (“Believe me”) or “Llamame” (“Call me”). I even saw a sticker on a door that said, “Halame” (“Pull me”).

The ads show young, hipster adults (supposedly, what the audience aspires to be) enjoying themselves.

It’s a smart campaign. It avoids phones and makes Movistar look like something that is fun and credible.

As for the name – Movistar. Well, I was a little let down. I asked some of my branding and advertising professionals and every single one said it reminded them of “Moviestar.”

Of course it does, that’s the point. If you use Movistar, you’ll feel like a moviestar. Maybe, you’ll be treated like a moviestar when you subscribe.

When I researched Movistar, I learned that Telefonica was using the name in 15 countries serving some 25 million subscribers. In Panama, the company is spending more than $2 million to advertise the brand. (Is that why the major ad agencies took out a full-page ad and welcomed the brand to Panama?)

In the realm of telephone mobile carriers, Movistar is slightly better than Cable & Wireless, but much better than BellSouth. It is evocative because it looks like “Moviestar,” which is something some people aspire to. Yet the name is descriptive because it uses the “movi” from “movil” (or mobile – got it?).

Regardless, it doesn’t come close to Orange, whose name and brand continues to be the most unique in the world of mobile communications. Orange is distinctive, friendly, extroverted, modern and powerful.

Movistar is fun, somewhat distinctive, powerful in a Hollywood sort of way, but as a native English speaker, it’s always going to look like moviestar mis-spelled. For native Spanish-speakers, the name gives people something to aspire to.