10 Brands that Will Disappear in 2012

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11. Management by Committee

Putting ideas before a committee is like sentencing them to be bitten to death by ducks.

Some of these marketing failures fit into known models; Sears, once the strongest retail brand in the US, got greedy and tried to bluff their way through, claiming lower prices (Americans are hooked on low prices, even if it means cheapo crap made by communist slave labor), while dropping customer service and "streamlining" their stores and operations. Sears considered that since they were at the top, they would be a leader no matter what. Stupid, predictable move.

Sears was like IBM--"no one can top us."

They became like slow-moving dinosaurs, top heavy with management unconnected to the consumer. Prior to Sears downgrading themselves by buying KMart--which had a niche--they actually had more imported cheapo crap years ago, but a certain segment of the consumer will always go for that, except when the crap is available everywhere, and the Walturd family bullied their way into destroying entire communities' mom & pop stores, shaking up the market. No one had been as ruthless before them, but once their tactics became known the dinosaurs moved far too slowly. Predictable, from a marketing theory standpoint, "the retail cycle."

At least Craftsman Tools is surviving somewhat on its own--my local Ace Hardware carries their tools. Hopefully Craftsman will break away completely from their ~80 year alliance on Sears and operate on a smaller basis as a freestanding entity akin to the old Brookstone.

Mal-Wart will die someday, too, but the damage is done.