Many companies, large and small, are faced with the idea that a brand name might die off, might have died off or be struggling. Macy’s killed off great brands like Marshall Field’s, Burdine’s, A&S, May Company, Foley’s and the like. They lost massive market share, and did not have to. TheirMORE HERE
GAF, once known as General Aniline and Film, is the nation’s leading name in roofing. It has roots as old as 1842, with the E. Anthony & Co. photography enterprise of Binghamton, N.Y. and General Aniline Works, a textile dye company. MORE HERE
One of the best-known toothpaste brands of the 20th century is still around, sort of. The toothpaste brand, which in Turkey is as well-known as Colgate or Crest, is a forgotten footnote, and has been on and off the market in the U.S. for decades. Today, it is still hardMORE HERE
There are many great ads, and it is hard to characterize a best. Very often a “best” tells as much about the person as the ad. Nevertheless, there are some ad campaigns that transcend all time. Such are the Valleydale pigs ads. PETA is perhaps the only group that mightMORE HERE
Some random thoughts on assorted brands that we needed to express, because we could: Disney’s Youth Concern: Disney’s Robert Iger is quite worried about 14-year-old girls, and whether they can be taught to save energy. Or so he tells The Wall Street Journal. “When you have the unique opportunity thatMORE HERE
NORTH HOLLYWOOD – This week, we got a press release from the Beverly Garland Holiday Inn. It is proof that franchised chains like Holiday Inn can encourage diversity within their system, yet preserve their Holiday Inn-ness. Now, you should know that I am a big Holiday Inn fan, and haveMORE HERE
Catching the film Escape from the Planet of the Apes on Planet of the Apes weekend, the movie was packed with brands. Surely there are more, but these were the ones that are highlighted, just after Zira and Cornelius, previously confined to a zoo, head out of their international pressMORE HERE
PLEASANTVILLE, NY. – That private capital has been unsuccessful in a leveraged buyout of Reader’s Digest Association Inc. should be no surprise. Private capital like Ripplewood Holdings has failed in all manner of media plays. The reality is that during a downturn, a company can’t be expected to be payingMORE HERE
LAWRENCE, KANSAS – We hear from BrandlandUSA reader Joe Vaughan that we need to mention Weaver’s Department Store. Says Vaughan, “It has operated continuously in Downtown Lawrence, Kansas since 1857 – that’s correct 1-8-5-7! It has been passed down through one family and has been in its present four-story buildingMORE HERE
What makes us believe in brands, true brands, is that they are expressions of a dream made real. When a good one is lost, or screwed up, it’s sad, not because we care about the brand itself, but instead we care about the human component that made it happen. It’sMORE HERE