07 March 2007

Bye Bye Site 59 Hello LastMinute.com

So finally Sabre is getting wiser about its brand rationalization. With over 20 different brands across its market, Sabre is finally realizing that the cost and value of each brand is not such a simple thing.

When the internet was young (remember when!) we all thought that the Real Estate of the web was infinite and open to all. Anyone with an idea could get online. IBM was as important as Aunt Edna’s website. IE the whole universe was open to small companies and large. Sadly no more. Perhaps one of the ultimate prices to be paid for the stellar performance at Google is that the days of Homesteading are over. Now we need to pay the toll. The gatekeeper of the first decade of the millennium is without a doubt Google. And the price is pretty hefty!

But we should examine Sabre’s other brand confusions. How long can Abacus and Zuji remain as separate entities? And if we think about it in addition to Sabre, there are many others who issues – lets pass a brief and critical eye over the TravelPort family of brands. The list spans pages

So commercial realism and standard marketing strategies will be the form of the future. The trends start now. I shall for one be a little sad that the little brands will have such a hard time to make headway against the goliaths and their big marketing spends.

Cheers

Timothy

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