An interesting bit of news that we read about in AdWeek. The Columbus, Ohio, branding firm of Conrad, Phillips, Vutech recently debuted a Made in USA certification mark that domestically manufactured brands can use on their packaging. We have seen similar attempts by firms in the internet and e-commerce world, and the USDA has the well recognized “USDA Organic” stamp that manufacturers can put on organic food. As many of you know, the FTC has never created a badge that brands could use in ads and packaging for American Made products. A company spokesman for the Ohio branding firm says “Companies can use [the certification mark] as a brand enhancer.”
Is something like this in the works from Sams Clan? Many of you have asked this same question to us in the past. We intend to have badges that our users can place on their site up soon.
ABC News Helps the U.S. Air Force Keep the Lights On!
Courtesy of the good folks over at ABC News, as part of their ongoing ”Made in America” project, we have the following tidbit–
The U.S. Air Force is under orders to buy American-made products for construction projects, but the Air Force was having trouble finding certain goods such as light bulbs made in America. Sylvania in St. Marys, Pa., is the only place still making light bulbs in the U.S. The company churned out old fashioned incandescent light bulbs for 100 years until the government announced it was phasing them out because they weren’t energy efficient.
Workers feared they’d be out of a job if they didn’t come up with a new idea quickly. Their creation, the Sylvania SuperSaver, is a halogen bulb in the old fashioned shape. The new product not only saves energy, but also jobs. If it was not for the new bulb 700 people might have been out of work…
and our boys serving overseas would be doing some late night reading in the dark!
Polaris now has its crack at reviving Indian Motorcycles
Over the past week, Indian Motorcycles of North Carolina, the latest re-start of the famed brand from the early 20th Century, was purchased by Polaris. This is the same Polaris who is a well known manufacturer of rugged ATVs and Snowmobiles, along with their own brand of touring motorcycles, called “Victory.” Polaris executives have said they hope to re-launch Indian in 18 to 24 months, which includes moving the manufacturing from Kings Mountain, N.C., to Spirit Lake, Iowa. Indian engines will be made at a Polaris plant in Osceola, Wisconsin. That plant was scheduled to close but now will remain open with about 60 jobs. Let’s hope this is the true jump-start that one of our country’s most storied brands needs.
