Meta Brand News: April 2007

[Editorial Note: Vis-a-vis this recurring Murketing.com feature, somebody observed that “Rob Walker has noticed that everyone wants to be a brand,” or words to that effect. I did once “notice” and write something along those lines, for The New York Times Magazine — in May 2000. However, that has nothing to do with the Meta Brand News roundup. The point of the Meta Brand News roundup is that “the brand,” as an idea, has entered the rarified sphere of metaphors that everyone understands, and can be applied to anything. That was not the case seven years ago. It is the case now. Hence, I wrote what I wrote seven years ago — and now I’m doing this. Until I get tired of it. Here goes the April 2007 version. As always: links not guaranteed]

“The German baby polar bear rejected by his mother has sent shares of the operator of the Berlin Zoo up 94 percent this week as investors bet ‘Knut’ will become a brand name like Paddington Bear or Winnie the Pooh,” according to Bloomberg News.

Pakistan needs “to become a brand name in international tourism like Sri Lanka and Thailand,” suggests the Hungarian ambassador to that country.

“Orange County is a change agent—it has become a brand,” a CEO informs the Orange County Business Journal

“New Zealand could be undermined as a brand if the Australian company [MFS Living & Leisure] gains control of” New Zealand’s Tourism Holdings Ltd., the country’s Green Party contends.

“It’s a shame that it should become a brand. It’s a work of art,” says the grandson of J.R.R. Tolkien, regarding the fate of his grandfather’s writing.

“The Tate used to be a polite collection of British and modern art, but it has become a brand,” observes The Guardian

Philospher Slavoj Zizek’s planned series of documentaries “sounds like a brand name in the making,” sneers the New York Times.

“Neil Perry, at the forefront of Australia’s breed of celebrity chefs, has become a brand,” says The Canberra Times

“Consultants are aiming to make a sale to American voters by positioning their candidate as a brand,” observes The Financial Express.

“Around Downriver [seems to be some place in Michigan], the last name Lesko [an area softball picher] has become a brand name for softball excellence,” reports The News-Herald.

Roger Daltry “carries his view of The Who as a brand name with him, and he is more of a fan than I am,” Pete Townsend tells The Voice of America.

And finally, director Shekhar Kapur denies being a brand! “I don’t want to be labelled as a brand because to me, it is to depend on my past work. It is an artistic death.” This at least is how he is quoted in Business Standard.