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Oath: The Circle marketing campaign, or heavy metal band?

Oath: The Circle marketing campaign, or heavy metal band?

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Earlier today, news broke that Verizon is merging venerable tech and media brands Yahoo and AOL into a company called Oath. Since then, many people have been asking a simple question: “Why Oath?” Now, I can’t answer this question, any more than I could explain why Tribune Publishing became Tronc. But I’ve narrowed it down to two possibilities: Verizon is either launching a subtle viral ad campaign for the 2017 film adaptation of Dave Eggers’ The Circle, or it’s starting a heavy metal band. I’ll briefly lay out my case for both; believe what you will.

The case for a Circle marketing campaign

  • Monosyllabic, technically-not-ominous name is perfect for a The Circle subsidiary
  • Timely, as The Circle premieres in a mere three weeks
  • #TakeTheOath isn’t quite as scary as The Circle’s slogans — like “SECRETS ARE LIES, SHARING IS CARING, PRIVACY IS THEFT” or “ALL THAT HAPPENS MUST BE KNOWN” — but pledging allegiance to a tech company is still pretty dystopian
  • Avoids massive restructuring effort required for a rock band

The case for a band

  • “Oath” sounds way too metal for a reboot of two aging tech companies
  • German band The Oath broke up in 2014, leaving the moniker free
  • AOL head Tim Armstrong easily replaceable by musician Tim Armstrong
  • Have I mentioned that “Oath” is just an absurdly sinister company name?

Poll

What is Oath, really?

This poll is closed

  • 46%
    A viral marketing campaign
    (552 votes)
  • 54%
    A heavy metal band
    (637 votes)
1189 votes total