What's in a brand name? Once, it referred to a specific product... long, long ago... when the world of consumer products was actually one made to be intuitive and usable for you and me, the consumers.
Clorox? That was just... Clorox. There was no Clorox 2, no ultra-thickened non-splash Clorox, and no Clorox 3 (aren't they up to 3 now?). (And I would have no use for any of them whatsoever.) Arm & Hammer was baking soda, Coke was Coca-Cola, not Coca-Cola Classic, Diet Coke, Cherry Coke, C2, Vanilla Coke... etc. (And for that matter, at one time, it even had some extract from the coca plant in it. I wonder how well that would go over in modern times?)
At some point, however, the companies that made these products and based their entire business around making such, naming their own corporation after their product, decided it would be a good idea to start buying out the manufacturers of other such products and developing new products, while keeping their original brand name as their company name. This can lead to some amusingness. Case in point......
While coming up with an intelligent response on the subject of roaches, (ewwww)... I decided to look around on the 'net and see if the Roach Motel brand of insect traps are still made and easily available. Apparently they're still made, but the only places I found to order them online sell only by the case. (A small price to pay for a potentially roachless existence.)
They're "Black Flag" brand now. Black Flag is known for making some particularly lousy (in terms of effectiveness) yet ridiculously toxic insect poisons of various types. Their legacy of lousiness, apparently, carried over to the Roach Motel line when they bought it off some other company long ago. The traps are about 1/2 their original size, and the glue is just a couple of little strips instead of a huge patch (which was MUCH stickier and more difficult for roaches to escape the grasp of.)
Well, apparently, Black Flag is now a member of the Clorox group. Clorox used to be a brand name applied to only one thing - liquid chlorine bleach (sodium hypochlorite solution). But now, it's so much more than just a brand of bleach -- it's a CONGLOMERATE! Take a look at their full line of products and brands.
Yes, from the same fine corporation, you can buy not only half-strength Roach Motels, but also Brita water filtration units, any one of four different brands of cat litter, Kingsford charcoal briquettes, and Hidden Valley salad dressings! Think about it now... how excellent does that make you feel to know that your salad dressing could have been made by a company known for many, many years, for its fine sodium hypochlorite liquid bleach?
It's like a virtual parade through the supermarket out there! Wow... okay, now I have the visuals from Irrational Exuberance rattling around in my brain. Yowza.