The Mini One, Maybach, New Beetle, Rabbit GTI and perhaps even the VW Bus... And that's just cars. Throw in Care Bears, Atari Games, the original Black & Decker power drill, Ovaltine, and you get a nice list of recently resurrected DORMANDISE: dormant products, brands, logos, campaigns and spokespersons that still reside in the collective consumer conscience, even though the actual merchandise has long ceased to exist.

Whatever the reason for fading away or disappearing (blame mergers, globalization, mis-management, strategic repositioning, or parent companies going broke), DORMANDISE represents a real value: just imagine the mountains of dollars, euros or yens you could save by not having to create instant name recognition amongst tens of millions of skeptical twenty, thirty or forty-somethings.

Conveniently, with a shaky economy, joblessness up, and insecurity being the word du jour, most corporations shy away from spending money on massive new brand and product introductions anyway, while consumers are waxing nostalgic for long-gone better days. Fertile soil for DORMANDISE!

Then add to that the many other advantages of tapping into lingering name recognition: this is not only about nostalgia, it is also a great way to achieve 'coolness' and an aura of exclusivity for demanding consumers: bringing back DORMANDISE items in limited editions could create an instant cult following.

Where to start? If you work for an organization that's been around for more than a few years, dive into your company's history and retrieve as many discontinued products, ancient advertising campaigns and forgotten brands as you can. And if you're interested in buying a dormant brand, try reliving your childhood years, and that of others, and before you know it, gems in hibernation will be begging you to kiss them awake like Sleeping Beauty.

Off the top of our global heads: Datsun cars (the Nissan Z was a small start), Raider bars, Banjo chocolate bars, Moxie soda, Oil of Olay, British Caledonian, Sweetheart Soap, Vivo supermarkets, Jif... Oh, and keep an eye on the 1,200 or so brands that consumer goods giant Unilever is busy disposing of. DORMANDISE of the future! >> Email this trend to a friend.

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AUGUST 2003

| Dormant in Europe they aren't, but North Americans haven't seen European cars built by Alfa Romeo, Renault, Fiat and Citroen on their roads for years.

In a recent New York Times article, industry experts speculated about the chance that some of this highly stylish DORMANDISE is ready to be taken out of the garage. Italian Alfa Romeo and British Rover (MG Roadster) seem especially interested. For Alfa Romeo, having American GM (who own 20% of Alfa Romeo's parent, Fiat) as a partner certainly helps. French Renault, who has no official plans to return to the US, has however returned to Mexico two years ago, so who knows. Maybe when Freedom Fries enter the world of DORMANDISE? Again, it's a lot of speculation, but buzz is an integral part of DORMANDISE to begin with! >> Email this trend to a friend.

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JANUARY 2004 | A resurrected sneaker brand with more than a touch of communist-chic DORMANDISE, from a country about to join the European Union?


Yep, it's Tisza sneakers from Hungary, a brand which had all but disappeared after Hungarians obtained their universal right to wear Adidas and Nike in the early nineties, but which in the seventies was the country's biggest footwear manufacturer.
Back with a vengeance in 2003, the 'new' Tisza sneakers are so cool that both nostalgic and too-young-to-remember Hungarians, as well as hip teenagers around the world, will love to get their hands on (and feet in) them, which in our book spells 'opportunity'.

In fact, considering that: (a) The company seems focused on the domestic market only; (b) all things Hungarian (and Czech and Polish for that matter) are bound to become pretty hot with EU accession slated for 1 May 2004; and (c) doing business in Hungary will become easier as part of European integration plans, what you have here is a license/franchise dream waiting to come true from Tokyo to Berlin to San Francisco. Oh, and don't forget to include Tisza's super trendy (read: marketable) collection of bags and shirts! Tisza can be contacted at tisza@tiszacipo.hu.


Not into fashion? If you happen to work for an organization that's been around for more than a few years, dive into your company's archives and retrieve as many discontinued products, ancient advertising campaigns and forgotten brands as you can. Hey, if Hungarian sneakers can be reincarnated, so can your DORMANDISE! ;-)