Remember the scene in Monty Python's Holy Grail when the man tries to dump his still alive father onto the cart of dead bodies? The old man says, "I'm not dead yet." That's what a number of once moribund brands are saying now.
The May 19 issue of The New York Times reports that River West has acquired such recognizable lifeless brands as Nuprin, Brim, Coleco and Underalls. They have brand equity if nothing else, so it is easier to resurrect a dead brand than to breathe life into a new one.
"In most cases we're dealing with a brand that only exists as intellectual property," says Paul Earle, River West's founder. "There's no retail presence, no product, no distribution, no trucks, no plants. Nothing. All that exists is memory. We're taking consumers' memories and starting entire businesses."