GOOD IDEA: Reviving Old Brands - Out of the Toy Box

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Richard Gottlieb

GOOD IDEA: Reviving Old Brands
August 27, 2008

Am I the only one who remembers Hydrox cookies? They were like Oreos but better*. In fact, they predate Oreos having beaten them to the store shelf by four years.

Well, it looks like I'll get to find out if my memory is correct. It seems that Hydrox is coming back.

In fact, lots of old brands are on the way back. According to a August 21, 2008 New York Times article, “Those Shelved Brands Start to Look Tempting,” abandoned brands like Eagle Snacks and Postum as well as neglected brands like Alka-Seltzer, Bayer and Flintstones are being brought back from the dead or being revived.

Why is this activity taking place now? Because during tough economic times “[i]t can cost significantly less to bring back a brand — or restore the luster to a faded one — than to develop a new product, because spending huge sums to generate awareness is not necessary.”

Another element to consider in reviving old brands is the power of the Internet. It seems there are on line communities emotionally dedicated to these “forgotten” products.

So, maybe it's time for toy manufacturers to go into the attic (their archives and the Strong National Museum of Play) and crawl around the nooks and crannies of the web. They may find that there are some valuable old brands waiting to be rediscovered.

*Apparently I'm not the only one who thought they were better. According to Wikipedia, “… the Hydrox had a ‘tangy, less-sweet filling’ and a crunchier cookie that stood up better in milk.”

Posted by Richard Gottlieb on August 27, 2008 | Comments (3)

August 28, 2008
In response to: GOOD IDEA: Reviving Old Brands
Kim Vandenbroucke commented:

And they have! Littlest Pet Shop, Mall Madness, Trollz...the list goes on. While these examples aren't as old as Hydrox cookies, they are brands that we remember from our childhood. *(depending on your age of course.) The key to bringing back old brands is to make sure they don't feel old and dated. Sure, you've got one leg up on brand spankin' new brands because you (hopefully) have some existing brand awareness. But if you fail to breathe fresh life into your old brand, you're going to fall flat. Trollz did just that. A classic icon from the 1960s (then called "Troll Dolls" or just "Trolls") was brought back to life by Hasbro a couple years ago failed to make a splash. Why? I can venture to guess that the revamp just didn't speak to today's consumer. So yes, look for the somewhat forgotten gems -- but don't assume they'll be runaway successes just because they were decades ago. It takes a little bit of consumer research, a great marketing plan and just like everything else in the toy and game biz, a little bit of luck. And my 2 cents on the Hydrox cookie -- it may have tasted better, but the name is just terrible. Oreo sounds so much yummier.

August 28, 2008
In response to: GOOD IDEA: Reviving Old Brands
Richard commented:

Good comments Kim. By the way the name Hydrox stood for Hydrogen and Oxygen which were the components of pure water. Marketing has certainly come a long way since those days.

September 2, 2008
In response to: GOOD IDEA: Reviving Old Brands
Kim Vandenbroucke commented:

Great trivia tidbit, Richard!