
101 Brand Names, 1 Manufacturer (2007) - walterbell
http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB117867462888496739
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shalmanese
Craft Whiskey has this same phenomena, where a huge amount of "small batch
distilleries" are sourcing their product from the same manufacturer, MGP.
That's why you can get a 10 year old aged whiskey from a company that's only
been around for 2 years.

[http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/07/28/your-
craft-...](http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/07/28/your-craft-
whiskey-is-probably-from-a-factory-distillery-in-indiana.html)

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PostOnce
It sounds like they're trying to imply that same manufacturer == same product;
foxconn manufactures blackberry phones and iphones, it doesn't mean they're
just slapping an apple logo on a blackberry.

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GFischer
Not in all cases, but in many, many cases, they are the exact same product
(it's more expensive to build a "crippled" product, see Intel's Celeron -
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celeron](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celeron)).

Especially supermarket generic brands, but also other products.

The article itself says "ingredients, designs and quality may differ
substantially among the labels made under the same umbrella. "But often the
main difference is marketing -- and price -- and that can be hard to sustain
once products are perceived as commodities. "

Also:

"Some consumer-product companies have been forced to make both generic and
branded products to please retailers. "If a major manufacturer is unwilling to
produce private-label products, there's a possibility the retailer won't sell
their branded products" (another thing retailers do is force companies to give
free samples or special discounts if they want to keep selling to a major
chain).

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wespad
It's the same with eyewear. Check out the 60 Minutes story on Luxottica:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDdq2rIqAlM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDdq2rIqAlM)

They control over 80% of the global market, from manufacturing, to opticians,
retail stores, and brands, including the second largest vision benefits
company in the US.

