Let me preface this very interesting story by Rob Walker in the New York Times Magazine “Can a Dead Brand Live Again?” with the fact that I remember the other half of the Brim Coffee ads:
“Only half a cup…”
“It’s Brim, it’s decaffeinated”
“Fill it to the rim”
This will be germane to the articles discussion of manufactured memory and the nature of brand consciousness. What I think I found most interesting was the general mechanism of well known or popular brand extinction- corporate mergers and consolidation. Acquisition of like brands renders well known lines redudant, thus they get shelved. While this is an obvious business decision, it helps explains how brands that either seem successful or incredibly long lived just disappear.
Walker discusses a firm that aims to capitalize on resurrecting brands that linger in our consciousness as essentially pre-marketed items whose memory is widespread but fuzzy enough their branding can be tweaked or the nature and extent of the product can be altered to fit into some new niche.
I don’t harbor nostalgia over many of these products, just a sort of jarring realization (felt way before reading the article) that some of these things just disappeared off the face of the earth like some nefarious force just pulled them off the shelf, simultaneously silencing the marketing voice that had been constantly reminding us of their supposed importance in our purchasing routines. It’s like these products were ripped off our televisions to be executed in some lonely forest.
Of course I obsess about branding because in our youths, companies like Nabisco felt content to market cookie brands that are now over 100 years old year in and year out, while now all cookies must be variants of Oreo or Chips Ahoy, and all crackers Wheat Thin, Triscuit, or Ritz based. Cookie Jesus cries for YOU, Cameo Cremes!
I knew the Cameo Cremes would have a cameo in this post, but where’s your Sizzlean??
Where’s my Mug-O-Lunch?!?!?
Where’s my Shake-a-Puddin’??
Taco Bell was the only restaurant to survive the Franchise Wars. Now all restaurants are Taco Bell.
Where’s my Jello 1-2-3?
I loved 1-2-3!!! Although, I recall it from much earlier… I’m thinking early 70′s.
And now I’m thinking of Whip n’ Chill!
Do I have a call for Spacefood Sticks?
Pudding Pops aren’t made anymore either. What’s up with that?
K, everytime I try to rent Idiocracy I get “the face”- tell me it is SO GOOD so I can veto.
I was going to say Spacefood Sticks! How about Quisp?
PP, I believe Kathleen is quoting Demolition Man, not Idiocracy…
And Speed Racer is TRANSCENDENT!!!
Quisp is in the article so you can’t mention it- I believe Quaker brought that one back in certain markets.
Speed Racer is unbelievable. I want to see it again so I can be by myself a high percentage of their box office.
I often think of those spacesticks and all the other assorted space foods like Tang.
And canned “Devil’s Food” meat spread…do they still make that?
Jiffy Pop died with the microwave.
Somebody will come along and mention Hydrox. The nerve!
Steak Ums are after some people’s time and before others. Plus I think you can still get them.
SHAKE N BAKE!!!!
BUBBLE TEA BUBBLE TEA
I was just confronted with a row of vending machines saying “USE CORRECT CHANGE ONLY”. AAAaaaaaaaaaaaah.
What kind of hell are you in, Mandos?????
I want my McDLT!!
I want my Crystal Pepsi!!
Fish, those don’t count. I would eat an Arch Deluxe if it were in front of me. But it still doesn’t count.
What kind of hell are you in, Mandos?????
I kept trying to feed them my dollar bills (Pepsi Max, $1.25, caffeine and “invigoration” desperately needed) and they kept ignoring me. I had to go to ANOTHER BUILDING to get the desperately needed phenylalanine.
I kept trying to feed them my dollar bills (Pepsi Max, $1.25, caffeine and “invigoration” desperately needed) and they kept ignoring me.
That sounds like currency discrimination… I don’t think vending machines are allowed to do that.
Wait, did your dollars have George W Bush on them? Those aren’t worth as much. No wonder they didn’t take.
Yeah, Carl’s Jr. is the franchise in Idiocracy.
Carl’s Jr. Fuck you, I’m eating!
Got Baked Potato Appeal. MAAAAADE with potatoes and skins that are real!!
now you can have the best part of the pizza, without the pizza!
Bellisimo! Manifique! C’est ce bon!
Thanks TATO Skins. No Respect.
Does no one remember me?
WHAT KIND OF INSANE HELL IS THIS? WHY MUST I BE TORTURED SO????
PRETENDER TO THE THRONE
Get yourself some Calgon, Suncheroa.
Gee, this comment thread smells terrific.
I want my Chef Boyardee Peparoni Pizza in a box!
I want my hardtack!!
New York Seltzer. The tastiest soda EVAR.
Good old Black Cherry.
I believe you were to blame, MD, because CLEARLY CANADIAN was the next wave of that.
Calgon, TAKE ME AWAY!
Yeah, sorry about that.
PS Get your ketchup potato chips down there yet?
Thank you for your support. Now get off our lawn.