Corporate America is eating its young; `Caretaker' managers at GM, elsewhere squander the branding legacies of forefathers.(Viewpoint)(General Motors Corp.)

Advertising Age, April, 2005 by Frankel, Rob

Byline: Rob Frankel

You can't pick up a newspaper-or, more accurately, scan a Web page-without reading about another ghastly goof in the world of business. Add to that list the horror of watching a parent devouring its brand offspring.

It's dumb. It's disgusting. And now it's become common practice of American business.

Throughout America, the major brands that haven't been starved to death by neglect are slowly being consumed by their own incompetence. Such is the case with General Motors, which recently announced that it would likely kill off some of its most established brands "if sales fail to meet projections.'' Oldsmobile, with all its brand equity, is already dead. Now Pontiac and Buick face a similar demise.

According to...

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