BRANDING -- ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS IN THE WHOLE WORLD

Many of you have written me privately about the "rebrand" approved by the Board of what is now The Jewish Federations of North America. And, while I like the new name, those responsible for its promulgation ought to be embarrassed by the amount of money spent on the "Initiative" from which it emerged. As someone said or wrote: "In a fast-paced world, today's brand could be tomorrow's trivia question." A dear friend wrote me the following family story:



"My Grandmother's name was Lottie Rudnovskiya and, of course, my great uncles on my grandfather's side were also Rudnovskiyas. My Grandmother and her family were living in St. Louis. My Mother was only a young child at the time. One day a great Uncle from Kansas City came to visit the St. Louis Rudnovskiyas. The great Uncle informed my Grandmother that he had changed his name to Rudd. My Grandmother was astounded and inquired as to why. He responded that he did it for business reasons the year before. My Grandmother's response was quixck and incisive: "So tell me, Moishe, now that you're a Rudd, is business any better?"


Wonderful story. As the head of a once great brand once said: "We view the experience of a Krispy Kreme store (where customers watch their doughnuts being baked) as the defining element of the brand." Uh, huh.

The Jewish Federations of North America -- the sum of its parts. As Warren Buffet has written: "Your...brand had better be delivering something special, or it's not going to get the business." Uh huh.

Rwexler