Sure.
A joint of mutton doesn't become obsolete after it's eaten.
I can think of several brands I saw ads for as a child, just by going to the movies.
Bovril, for instance. Created in 1889.
Cinzano, first introduced in Italy in 1757. That's not a brand? And after you drink a bottle, you have to go buy another.
It's easy to find other examples.
Hennessy Cognac, 1757. Created in Cognac, a town in France. Also a brand. Brand identity, right? It's a brand with such identity that people think its a drink. Same with Champagne, btw.
This article is specious nonsense written by an ignoramus.
If you just ignore the fact that it's premise can be proven wrong in five minutes of internet searching, I'm sure it's full sound and fury.
I didn’t say brands didn’t exist. I said brand identity wasn’t as strong. Those are vastly different things. In this modern world NASCAR fans buy the replica of their favorite drivers car at the beginning of the season to look at all his sponsors and change their shopping habits. What brands we buy has become a major part of our own identity now.
Not to mention the stuff that became so ubiquitous we don’t even remember its branding. Look up Santa in history. The image of Santa changed constantly and regularly for centuries. All the way up until 1931. What happened in 1931? The first Coca Cola ad with Santa. Our image of Santa hasn’t changed one bit since. Almost a century. First time in 700 years Santa hasn’t morphed in some way every 30 years or so. Consumer Culture.
The article is spot on. Consumer is huge, and did not exist until Madison Ave. These are well known well proven facts.