Factories and branding

Previously noted here: Good questions raised by Notbillable about the “startling fact” highlighted by the pet-food recall that scores of brands were all made by the same manufacturer.

The WSJ has a good story on this today, by Ellen Byron. She got someone from Menu Foods to talk, at least a little, and offers plenty of context and examples of how widespread similar practices are, across many industries.

“The sheer magnitude of how many branded products come from one source erodes the whole basic premise of what branding is in the eyes of the consumer — they feel duped,” says Eli Portnoy, who heads Portnoy Group Inc., a Los Angeles-based brand-strategy firm.

Duped by branding? Say it ain’t so!