Eskimo changes its name to EY Agency

The Eskimo agency will be called EY Agency from today. The reason for the name change is that company officials started receiving suggestions two years ago that the word Eskimo would no longer be acceptable to the Inuit community and that the younger generation in Greenland would take it especially hard and even consider it racist.

“We were shocked, as we hadn’t realized this. Of course, there was nothing else to consider but respect this point of view and get with the times,” say Andrea Brabin and Tinna Aðalbjörnsdóttir, owners of EY Agency. The agency wants to build people and not break them down.

"Ey" means island in Icelandic

However, changing the 28  year old brandname that everyone knows goes well beyond that. For two years, they searched for a name that was not reserved, found a name, and dropped it. “Six months ago, we had the marketing and design genius Ásgrímur Már take on a job to find a name, make a logo, and other marketing material and a website. Then finally the wheels started to turn and now it’s happening and we couldn’t be happier. Now all we have to do is get word that Eskimo has become EY Agency. I emphasize, though, that this is only a name change, no change in the company number,” laughs Andrea, who has run Eskimo on the same ID since 1998.

EY Agency derives its name from the Icelandic word “ey” or island. “It’s going to remain a modeling and “casting” office and our mantra is: “It’s all about people,” says Aðalbjörnsdóttir.

“We are a family business and have emphasized good and rich relationships with both our people and our partners,” they conclude.