Word: brand
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...When and if the economy heats up again, perhaps shoppers will return to the so-called aspirational brands like Abercrombie. But don't bet on it. "Retailers don't realize that consumers are spending less and doing O.K. with it," says Beemer. According to Beemer's research, only 40% of men and 20% of women say they'll spend at high-end apparel stores again. "Abercrombie keeps working to protect their brand," says Beemer. "But when you keep seeing 30% sales declines, you're going to protect your brand into oblivion...
...Making Puer tea as internationally renown as Roquefort cheese could expand China's tea exports while adding a bit of luster to a food industry infamous for its health scandals. But building a Puer brand will depend on getting control of a market riddled with imposters, financial speculation and controversies...
...That's when Beijing stepped in. In an effort to restore confidence, piracy-prone China tightened controls to define exactly what should be considered real Puer. As of December 2008, only teas produced in Yunnan province's 639 towns and 11 prefectures and cities can be labeled "Puer." Branded tea must also be made with a certain type of leaf, using specified technology. Yunnan leaves aged outside the province are no longer considered authentic. The goal, officials say, is to protect Yunnan's heritage and build an internationally viable, niche brand...
...Experts also have doubts that Chinese regulators can get enough control over the Puer market to build a premier brand. Beijing's standards only apply to domestic producers; competitors in Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Burma can continue to grow and sell their own "Puer" tea. Hoffman, the collector, predicts that fakes will persist and urges caution. "This has always been a buyer-beware market, and it will always be thus," he says.(Read "Will China's New Food-Safety Laws Work...
...first experiment, 203 American undergraduates in South Carolina were offered a choice between a prize pack containing Lay's potato chips - a quintessentially American brand - and one containing British crisps in odd flavors such as "Camembert and plum." After they made their picks, the students filled out questionnaires that measured how much change is going on in their lives. (The questionnaires asked them to rate their level of agreement or disagreement with statements like "I am making a lot of changes this month.") And surprisingly, those undergoing more changes were significantly more likely to have picked the British crisps over...