Why Universal is cooler in California
Brands are intimately connected with place. When you think of Camden, you think of Campbell’s soup and RCA records. When you think of Hollywood, you think of Universal City. A Steinway or Swingline needs to be made in Queens. Marlboro needs to be made in Richmond. Saabs and Volvos need to be made in Scandinavia. Jaguars in England. Fords at Rouge. You get it.
That is why it is SO wrong that Sesame Street Place is located in suburban Philly. It should be located in New York City, where it is filmed and set. That is why it is wrong that IKEA now seems to be selling chicken fingers. While we love chicken fingers, they are not Scandinavian and are wrong at IKEA. Meatballs and salmon, please!
BrandlandUSA believes that brands need to stay connected to geography. What is exciting about a brand is if it stays in the present, but has a link to the past. If a brand becomes disconnected to its geography, it loses authenticity. That is why it is so sad that Life Savers are no longer made in the U.S. It’s so wrong.
We have listed some brands that you can visit, and are connected to geography. Please go see.
- Read Flagship Hotels of Great Industrial Companies (we’re talking duPont, CSX, Kohler)
- 20 Mule Team Borax Museum
- Visit the home of Duncan Hines
- Go get a mud bath with the Dr. Wilkinson family
- Go peek in the lobby of Hotel Pennsylvania
- Keep the Helmsley Brand, No Matter the Trouble.
Read www.brandlandUSA.com. Questions? E-mail Sarasota freelance writer Garland Pollard
