Disappearing Brand Predictions: What do you think? I'd say dead wrong about Sears!

24/7 Wall Street has made some predictions and provided a list of ten brands that it doesn't think will be around a year from now.  One of the unfortunate ten is Sears, and there are other brands on there that I recognize such as Nokia, Kellogg's Corn Pops, Sony Ericson and more.

I don't know about you, but I'd have to disagree.  Sure, Sears has had some issues.  I remember when Kmart came under the Sears umbrella and though I wasn't too sure about that, it turned out alright.  I would have to say that the local Kmart I shopped at at the time actually started carrying merchandise instead of empty shelves!  Being shored up by Sears was definitely a good thing for those of us who shop the Blue Light specials.

I grew up thumbing through Sears' Wishbook.  My parents would drop us off at our grandparents and then drive the long distance into Erie to go Christmas shopping.  I would also have to say that the Wishbook was my first real introduction to Sears.

Sears was also my first ever credit card.  I applied for and received a Sears card when my car broke down at a mall and I needed some tools to fix it.  That's the beauty of Sears - it is like a Walmart in many respects, only the clothing and other goods are of a higher quality.  It was via Sears that I got a Novus Card, which eventually turned into my beloved Discover Card.

Sears knows how to build brand loyalty, so I'm not too worried about seeing them shuttered up at the mall a  year from now.  They'll make course corrections in this turbulent economy and sail their way to a better berth as our economy recovers. 

As for Kellogg's Corn Pops... Rice Krispies recently went to a gluten free product offering, so why not Corn Pops?  I loved them growing up, but can't eat them now.  Gluten free fare is a fast growing industry and Kellogg's should reformulate to dump the gluten and market the product to a niche audience.  I would love to eat Corn Pops again.  One thing I don't want to see is a smaller cereal selection to accompany the doll house sized boxes already displayed on the shelves.