Three years after renaming it Looker Studio, Google is returning to the name Data Studio. A change which above all illustrates a reality: the tool had never really changed its name…
In a official announcementGoogle revealed the return of Data Studio, formerly known as Looker Studio. And the announcement may come as a surprise, because in 2022, the company had chosen to rename its data analysis tool to integrate it into the Looker ecosystem, its Business Intelligence platform acquired in 2020.
Three years later, the strategy is evolving. Google explains that it wants to reintroduce a “familiar and appreciated name” among users, while repositioning the tool. Data Studio now becomes a hub that should allow you to explore and analyze different Google Data Cloud assets, such as reports, BigQuery chatbots or even data applications created in Colab.
In fact, the service remains very close to what it was before: a platform intended to quickly create dashboards and visualize data. But this return to the historic name above all reveals a broader reality: the 2022 rebranding has never been fully adopted by the community…
A name that users never really abandoned
Throughout the time the tool was called Looker Studio, many marketing and data professionals continued to call it… Data Studio.
On Google Trends, the query “Google Data Studio” remained very popular, often even more than “Google Looker Studio”. In other words, the name change has not really changed user habits.
This situation is also explained by the confusion created by Google’s brand strategy. The company offered both Looker, Looker Studio and Looker Studio Pro, products with different uses but whose names were very similar.
With the return of Data Studio, Google is therefore making a more readable separation:
- Data Studio becomes the tool for rapid data visualization and exploration
- Looker remains the Business Intelligence platform for large organizations
Data Studio in the era of AI and Data Cloud
Beyond the name change, Google is also trying to reposition Data Studio at a time when AI is taking an increasing role in data analysis. The platform is now presented as an entry point for different types of data resources, ranging from classic reports to analytical applications, including conversational agents connected to BigQuery.
For Google, the goal is to make it easier for users to navigate its data ecosystem and use their information to make daily decisions.
Thus, two versions are now offered:
- Data Studio, always free, for individual analysis and creation of quick dashboards
- Data Studio Pro, aimed at businesses with advanced security, governance and integration with Google Cloud
For existing users, the transition is seamless, and all existing reports and data sources are automatically transferred to the new experience without any special action.
This return to Data Studio ultimately shows that rebranding is not always enough to transform uses. In this specific case, the community had already chosen the name it preferred, and Google only made it official again…
