Was branding out of control?

Was branding out of control?

Shoppers won't be picking up ornate lamps from the Bombay Co. in the coming year. Or investing with Lehman Bros. Holdings Inc. and Bear Stearns Cos. No flying to Hawaii on Aloha Airlines or buying the latest electronics from Circuit City.

All those names vanished last year, victims of the economy, the financial meltdown or other factors. Experts say 2009 could mark the end of even more well-known brands as the now-two-year-long recession puts more struggling companies on life support.

Which brings us to our question, was branding out of control? Where there just to many brands to begin with? Its seems there were so many choice's for the consumer, value became insignificant and quality took a back seat to pricing as the dominating factor on our purchasing decisions.

It will be interesting to see what happens to other brands, as the recession keeps rolling on and buying patterns change with consumers.