Posted by
GeorgeBruno on Tuesday, October 14, 2008 3:55:12 PM
I have a friend who was a Mobil gas station owner. When Mobil disappeared from the landscape up here in the cool northeast Philly area, the Lukoil company came in and "re-flagged" all the Mobil stations. In a matter of hours, what was visibly a mobil station, became Lukoil.
The familar blue mobil colors were replaced by the red Lukoil.
That's what branding is. Colors, shapes, sounds all helping you become familiar with the brand.
Example: Youre in the coffee isle at the market. You want Folgers. You dont even have to be able to read to find Folgers. Why? Because it's the Red can. Maxwell House is the BLUE can. Chock full of nuts is the YELLOW can.
You could send an idiot in to buy coffee in the RED can.
It works.
That my friend, is not by accident.
I deposited a check in my local bank today. Wachovia Bank...now owned by Wells Fargo.
In Philly, we go to concerts at and have two of our sports teams, the Flyers and Sixers, play at The Wachovia Center.
Formerly,The First Union Center.
Formerly, The Core States Center.
I wonder how soon it will be The Wells Fargo Center?
What occured to me was the branding involved everytime a company buys out another and who is benefitting from that.
The t-shirts, the pens, the signage, the marketing tchochke's, the letterheads, business cards, etc
Someone's got to make them. Someone is making that money.
One company goes down in smoke with a buy out. Another company cashes in on that. The branding companies win big with having to re-brand, reflag, and establish trust with their constituents all over again.
Imagine having the sign company that has the contract to change all the Wachovias to Wells Fargo banks!
What about the guy who is the supplier for the pens or letterhead or business cards!
The owners of Branding, Advertising Specialties, and Sign companies are all saying....."What recession?"
America. What a great country!