In one of my classes I have learned more about what it is to "brand" and how powerful a brand can be for a company. Furthermore, I have begun to think about how the selling and buying of brands can confuse, or possibly mislead, it's consumers.
Recently the Mars corporation bought Alterra Coffee's brand, meaning simply their name, in it's font, and their story. However, they didn't buy any of Alterra's actual products, like for instance, coffee beans, recipes, or food. Now, the "Old Alterra" is named Collectivo Coffee. It carries the same coffee/drinks and food and is owned by the same owners. The only difference is that this Milwaukee coffee business has a different name and "story".
As someone who has learned about branding more in depth than the typical customer, I find this instance of buying and selling brands very misleading. If I wasn't taught what I have been, I would, like many others, go to Alterra Coffee houses and either, 1. be confused as to why the coffee/drinks/food tastes or is different, or 2. not notice the coffee is from different beans and be mislead, thinking that the coffee I am drinking is from certain beans, harvested in a certain way, and is generally of the story/standards I had once learned it was. For instance, the former Alterra had multiple organic coffees available and all of the beans were fair trade. This may be ethically important for many loyal customers of Alterra. Therefore, they may go to the new Alterra thinking they are still support and sipping the same standard of coffee but aren't in reality.
If I wasn't educated in the details of this branding sale, I would assume that Mars simply bought the company Alterra from its owners and now its former owners have started a new, yet similar, company.
From my branding class, I am able to understand branding on a greater level and, with this, the possible misleading technicalities that accompany the buying and selling of brands.
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