Warner Bros. Discovery knew theannouncement that it was restoring "HBO" to the name of its Max streamerwould elicit forehead-slapping derision. The media company tried to preempt mockery of the move by posting a slew of self-deprecating memes immediately after it said the "new-ish" HBO Max name would come back this summer. But the consensus among branding experts is that WBD's decision to resurrect HBO Max after two years of life as Max was a tacit acknowledgement that it committed a big strategic error, one that continues to cause confusion. More from Variety J.J. Abrams' 1970s-Set 'Duster' Is a Gas Until It Hits the Skids: TV Review Inside the Warner Bros. Discovery Upfront: Big Laughs for 'HBO Max' Name Change; No NBA, But Shaq Still Stops By to Promote 'Superman' Movie Why David Zaslav Was Wrong to Get Rid of HBO's Name in HBO Max "Re-adding 'HBO' isn't a rebrand — it's a corporate walk-of-shame," said Eric Schiffer, chairman of L.A.-based Reputation Management Consultants, which provides celebrity PR and branding consulting. "Every neon 'Max' banner hangs like a scarlet letter of incompetence." He added, hyperbolically, that "stripping it costs more than some streamers spend on content." By excisingHBO from the streamer's name in 2023, "Warner Bros. Discovery destroyed 50 years of prestige," Schiffer said. "Now it has to haul that gravestone back and pay for the funeral twice." The latest name change is an attempt to correct one of corporate America's biggest branding fumbles, behind only toElon Musk rechristening Twitter as X, said branding expert David Aaker, vice chairman at Prophet, a business strategy and marketing consulting firm. (Indeed, Max's account on the social platform formerly known as Twitter was allset to troll Musk: "Your move, X," it wrote in a post Wednesday.) Others have likened the previous change from HBO Max to Max to the famous '80s New Coke marketing debacle. Aaker said WBD's flip-flopping from HBO Max to Max to HBO Max was an example of corporations underestimating the cost and complexity of creating a new brand. "Going from HBO Max to Max was the pinnacle of walking away from brand equity, brand loyalty and brand clarity," he said. Thebrand confusion surrounding HBOin the streaming realm goes back years, before Warner Bros. Discovery was formed from Discovery's acquisition WarnerMedia (previously called Time Warner; there's another naming muddle for you). Originally, the premium cabler introduced the HBO Go service for authenticated pay-TV subscribers, beforelaunching the standalone HBO Nowin 2015 — and then trying to clean it up with HBO Max. So what were WBD execs thinking when they dropped HBO, which has long been a gold standard of premium television programming, from the service's name?The rationale was twofold.One was to reflect the expanded content lineup with the addition of thousands of hours of content from Discovery networks (which, according to a company slide deck at the time, was expected to help the "male-skewing" HBO Max attract more female viewers). The other stated reason was to convey that Max was family-friendly: HBO's brand stands for "edgy, groundbreaking entertainment for adults," WBD's streaming chief JB Perrette said two years ago. Fast-forward to this week, and here'sPerrette explaining that HBO Maxis not going try to be a gargantuan bin that appeals to all audiences: "We will continue to focus on what makes us unique — not everything for everyone in a household, but something distinct and great for adults and families." WBD's social and marketing teams tried to generate goodwill by making jokes about HBO Max's return. "These rebrands are trying to murder me," the @StreamOnMax account said in its updated bio on X. The account also shared a topical pope wisecrack with an image of white smoke billowing from the Warner Bros. Water Tower signaling that "a new brand has been chosen," and a spin onthe Spider-Man pointing memefeaturing DC's Superman. BREAKING: White smoke was seen coming from the Warner Bros. water tower. A new brand has been chosen.pic.twitter.com/DOC8LIWR4x — Max (@StreamOnMax)May 14, 2025 Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival Sign up forVariety's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us onFacebook,Twitter, andInstagram.