Several brands which were extremely powerful during the last few decades are about to disappear. Many of them no longer drive big sales. Some are a part of companies that are in trouble. Some are part of industries which are falling apart. Here is a list of brands, most over them a decade old, and some much older, which are either done or likely to go away in the next year or two.
CompUSA
Old Navy
Countrywide
XM Satellite Radio
E*Trade
K-Mart
Dodge
Circuit City
Gateway Computers
Vonage
Yahoo
Motorola
Sharper Image
Isuzu (USA), etc.
Source: AOL Money and Finance
“The USCF has floundered for a number of years in some key areas. The federation struggled badly to adapt to the rapidly changing chess world and fell way behind in the Internet age.” This is a quote from my husband Paul, who has been in Marketing & PR for over 20 years.
I fully agree with him. This is the same story with the companies listed above. The USCF has lost a lot of money in the last decade. We cannot survive unless this trend is reversed.
We are at a crossroad. We have a unique opportunity to flourish in a completely untapped market with the proper marketing strategy or we will be in serious trouble if we continue the destructive status quo. It is 2008. We cannot continue the 1968 way of doing business and hope that we will survive.
What is your take?
Completely right. Mr. Anderson of the AF4C said that the USCF has become irrelevant. He’s not the only one to have said this.
“What is your take?”
That the heeadline is misleading. The headline says brands that are disappearing, while if you read the first paragraph, it says no, brands that are scaling back OR disappearing.
Most of them are not going away at all. CompUSA is, but Dodge, Motorola, and most of the rest are not.
Some are a part of companies that are in trouble. Some are part of industries which are falling apart.
And some are thriving so well that other, bigger companies have acquired them.
Old Navy
Did I miss a memo? Last I heard, Gap Inc. (ticker: GPS) was doing fine with this brand.
The problem with USCF is that it treats it’s members poorly. I had all my Chess club kids send in designes for the “Stamp Contest”. Not a word of thanks to any kid. No follow up in Chess life, nothing. There are hundreds of examples that members could share. USCF does nothing to say thanks to its members. I am considering spending my money on a subscription to New in Chess.
Who can make any changes in the USCF? Perhaps someone who was elected to the board last year could update us on what has been done to correct this situation. How much time is needed to turn the tide?
Susan and Paul can’t change things until Goichberg is off the board. As long as he’s running the USCF and CCA at the same time, nothing will change. I can only hope that the USCF will survive that long.
“I am considering spending my money on a subscription to New in Chess.”
Did you get a thank you note from New in Chess? Or have good reason to think that you some day will?
I always get a thank you from Susan every time I submit something to her for this blog.
The incompetence of the leadership will bring about a faster downfall to the USCF.
Agenda oriented people like Bill Goichberg who is using the USCF for his own personal benefits is the root of the problems.
He needs to go!
What are the big ideas? Execution is the key to success.
The USCF shot its self in the foot a long time ago by making the local tournament director test too hard (the answers are NOT in the USCF rulebook). No new directors, so very few new adult members. Another USCF Lifer
Why do they still let Jerry Hanken write anything? His columns are terrible! 2200 riding the rating floor loses to 4 year old rated 800, includes his picture again this month, then this genius annotates the loss as poorly as he played it. WHY?!?!!?!?!
Because he’s a friend of Goichberg. It’s good to have friends in high places.