Originally Posted by
Kommisar89
Hey, relax, you're trying to burst my bubble.
I'm a sentimental guy
Fortunately ethics is in the eye of the beholder so it only matters if I think it is.
Usually when I hear somebody say, "It's just business" it's right before a whole bunch of people get laid off at Christmas time or something.
But now you're opening a whole 'nother can of worms that probably deserves its own thread - "When is a company still the same company?"
Essentially you are saying that anytime I buy anything, I can't narrow my selection by looking at well known brands that I know in the past have produced good products that meet my needs but instead I must go through every available product out there trying to compare each one. That might be workable with semi-custom randoneurs since there aren't that many but for other things it could be quite cumbersome. It might be a good practice but I doubt seriously it's what most people do. I bet most people say, "I bought a Toyota and it was a good car so I'm going to look at Toyotas for my next car". Maybe those people are stupid, lazy, gullible, or whatever but that's what most people do and it's the very reason why companies work so hard to establish and maintain brands in the first place.
Yes, there is a whole lot of money invovled with brand management. But there is also a whole lot of effort and somewhat of a science to having a brand mean a specific thing. Toyota is about quality, Porsche is about performance and WalMart (please, no Walmart pissing matches, this is just an example
) is about low cost. Your subsequent use and perception of it's fit to the brand identity is essential for you to "trust" the brand message and not have to do the research you mention. The new Herse has some equity in the brand identity of the old Herse, and they are paying money for it. As they can buy the old torches, they can buy a brand. The question is, will they live up to the perceived brand identity of Herse? Only time will tell.
Some brands try to move catagories (eg, Toyota wanting to known as a performance vehicle) and it is often unsuccessful and at the very least it is very expensive. Obviously there is some backlash of using the Herse name, there is a long history with some very loyal "fans". I don't think the new owners should consider changing the brand like BD did with Windsor, etc. But if they make a product that lives up to the perceived brand of Herse, what is the harm?