There has been much premature angst expressed over the bankruptcy of Hostess Brands, on the assumption that Twinkies are in danger of disappearing from the shelves of the nation's Seven-Elevens. In fact, most observers presume that the brand name Twinkie as well as the product formulation will be sold to another company, where, lacking the costly Teamsters contract work rules that crippled Hostess, Twinkies will find a profitable sugary destiny. But when a brand name product disappears and its name goes unused for 3 years, the name reverts to the public domain, and may be registered in the name of a new owner. Such back-from-the-dead brands are informally known as "zombie brands." And they have become a minor, slightly ghoulish, industry. A brand new blog, To Put It Bluntly, published by a friend of mine, Lawrence Siskind (Larry has written for AT in the past) has just debuted, and takes up the ins and outs of zombie brands in one of its first posts. Larry is a distinguished San...(Read Full Post)