Ivory soap has been bringing “good, clean fun” to families for more than 125 years. Along with other classic brands like Sears, Kraft, and Tropicana, Ivory has spent decades presenting a vision of life that’s all sweetness and light. That vision is also simplistic, cloying, and quickly losing its draw. BrandZ, a global study conducted by the London-based marketing services company WPP, categorizes these once-great brands as “fading stars.” They’ve lost the image-based advantage that once made them beloved.
A version of this article appeared in the October 2006 issue of Harvard Business Review.
