Peppercorn died today of self-inflicted wounds. The name was 17-years-old and all too often used instead of Peppercom, the firm's correct name.

And, so, in tandem with a major re-branding and the launch of a desperately-needed new website, the Peppercorn name was laid to rest while Baby Peppercomm simultaneously entered the brave, new world sporting an extra letter M.

As a result, even the least educated vendor, prospective client or passer-by will be unable to bastardize the firm's name. Agency principals said adding the second M was akin to providing unlimited amounts of morphine to a patient battling chronic lower back pain for nearly two decades.

Baby Peppercomm is a fully integrated strategic communications and marketing firm. Indeed, the M actually stands for marketing which, thanks to the acquisition of an interactive design firm a few years back, is now part of the channel-neutral Peppercomm's service offerings. And, depending on their political beliefs, agency employees will be henceforth known as either Peppercommers or Peppercommies.

The firm's new tagline: 'Listen. Engage. Repeat.' underscores the 100-person staff's emphasis on always listening to a client's constituent audience(s) before engaging in communications of any kind. It's a subtle, but significant, differentiator that simply isn't reflected in the brand promise of any Peppercomm competitor. So there.

In addition to Peppercomm, the late Peppercorn is survived by three offices (New York, San Francisco and London) and multiple divisions/service offerings, including: H20 (creative services), Brand Squared Squared (licensing), Business Outcomes (the firm's proprietary measurement system affectionately known as B.O.), GreenPepper (self-explanatory), Comedy Experience (ditto), Audience Experience (in which the Commies experience a client's brand from the audience standpoint) and Peppercommotions (special events).

Agency principals ask that any donations made in the memory of Peppercorn be sent to the fruit stand vendor directly outside the firm's 470 Park Avenue South headquarters.