Strongest national brand?

[Gorth]

If that makes Australia exciting, Texas is a blast. You know what beats poisonous spiders? Rabid opossums.

Rabid opossums has nothing on drop bears...

 

Besides I hate those noisy little buggers. If you thought cat fighting was bad, try getting sleep while territorial opossums slug it out

[Guest The Architect]

What's so exciting about Australia. The dust, the dingoes, or the cows ?

 

What the **** was that, young man?

 

 

It's all about the kangaroos.

[Walsingham]

If that makes Australia exciting, Texas is a blast. You know what beats poisonous spiders? Rabid opossums.

Rabid opossums has nothing on drop bears...

 

Besides I hate those noisy little buggers. If you thought cat fighting was bad, try getting sleep while territorial opossums slug it out

 

With shotguns.

[Raithe]

The UK has remained in fourth position in an annual league table of the world

[Shryke]

Norway's biggest export - black metal?

[Walsingham]

Norway's biggest export - black metal?

 

Black gold.

[Gromnir]

a "national brand" is an anachronism that will never again be relevant... save for in reference to the occasional internet poll or list.

 

HA! Good Fun!

[Humodour]

a "national brand" is an anachronism that will never again be relevant...

 

Except to, you know, the large tourism industry of most countries...

[Gromnir]

statistically relevant numbers o' people visit sweden 'cause they thinks swedes make good furniture? bull.

 

*snort*

 

HA! Good Fun!

 

ps even if you believe such nonsense, is LESS true today than ever before... and is increasingly less true daily. Gromnir can log on and order a motherboard from taiwan, an end table from sweden and a waterford crystal decanter from ireland... all in a matter o' 15 minutes. never have to leave our office.

Edited October 16, 2010 by Gromnir

[Monte Carlo]

Does Sweden actually have a tourist industry? Isn't Belgium one of those countries people just drive through? Isn't Holland famous only for seedy weekend trips by rowdy groups of blokes?

 

Australia is the only interesting country on that list.

[Walsingham]

a "national brand" is an anachronism that will never again be relevant... save for in reference to the occasional internet poll or list.

 

HA! Good Fun!

 

Any, you know, whatsit to back this up?

 

Evidence?

 

I note a startling lack of successful distance selling firms based in Albania rather than the UK, for example. Because the Uk has both legislation and a reputation for upholding it. And nothing better to do.

[Gromnir]

a "national brand" is an anachronism that will never again be relevant... save for in reference to the occasional internet poll or list.

 

HA! Good Fun!

 

Any, you know, whatsit to back this up?

 

Evidence?

 

I note a startling lack of successful distance selling firms based in Albania rather than the UK, for example. Because the Uk has both legislation and a reputation for upholding it. And nothing better to do.

 

 

sure... not that you need any... if you thought 'bout it.

 

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/global500/2010/

 

most is multinational. the ones involved in actual manufacture has production sites worldwide. is no national brand for multinationals, not in any genuine sense.

 

more proof? we mentioned motherboards already. taiwan does not rate high on national brand scale, but many o' the top producers o' motherboards (asus, msi, etc) is from taiwan. as little as 20 years ago we woulda had difficulty convincing people from our parent's generation to buy anything from taiwan... but heck, we didn't even know that asus were taiwan for many years. micron memory, the folks that makes our crucial ballistix memory, they is headquartered in boise, idaho... and we didn't know that 'til we looked it up a couple minutes ago.

 

*snort*

 

as for your legislation observation... duh. some nations is notorious with tariffs and other ploys to makes domestic products more appealing, but that sure as hell ain't gonna mean that the tourist industry for albania increases, and it doesn't complete stop distant deter distance purchase neither... the seller needs maybe find a different consumer if the uk is gonna be inegalitarian 'bout trade, but that is the advantage o' the developing world economy... new options become available daily. you is not paying attention if you honest believe that distance purchase has not substantial increased over the past decade (although some industries has been notorious difficult to expand.) and for chrissakes, have you ever heard o' a retailer? if Gromnir goes to newegg site we is not dealing with albania, taiwan and chinese laws regarding trade... and we don't care.

 

regardless, even if you point to tariffs and such, the reason for avoiding purchase o' a product from Albania doesn't have much to do with some sorta generalized National Brand confidence regarding products from albania. if some small manufacturer in albania makes excellent and low-cost prostate probes made for some sorta specialized medical procedure, then you thinks American medical industry is gonna avoid purchasing just because the probes is made in albania? 'course not. is an increasingly antiquated notion you is holding onto. ask self, how many o' us has resisted the urge to purchase a blu-ray or dvd 'cause we didn't know where the disc were actual manufactured.

 

HA! Good Fun!

 

ps we do recognize that walsh weren't talking 'bout tariffs and domestic trade protections, but as that is the genuine enemy o' opening up international markets we decided to ignore the union jack waving.

Edited October 16, 2010 by Gromnir

[Walsingham]

OK. But national branding still matters.

 

1. If I approach you as a firm based in the UK offerring the same deal as one based in Sweden, which do you choose? What about one based in Uganda?

2. Ordinary consumers do care about where stuff is made. 'Made in Myanmar' has moral implications which a lot of people think about. Extreme example, but it's not dead.

3. You can't just shrug off regulation. What about the recent spate of court cases against Chinese firms for dangerously faulty goods?

4. National branding is exhibited in the shifting patterns of vacation and business travel.

 

And is it really so much to ask you to use capital letters? If I can type on a keyboard with no goddamn visible letters, you can use the shift button.