a new low in branding?

[Firedome]

We're used to it by now, this slapping of names of once great products onto new garbage... "Altec" on plastic computer speakers, "Zenith" on LG junk, "RCA" on all kinds of crappy stuff... and now! "Magnavox" on cheap Chinese window air-conditioners! Not related in any way to their actual legacy products! Bottom of the line A/Cs as featured in a el-cheapo discount retailer flyer that hit our mail-box today. Oh the humanity!! Peter Jensen must be spinning in his grave!

https://www.magnavox.com/en/17-air-conditioners

[Ken Doyle]

Magnavox hasn't been Magnavox since Philips bought them out in the mid-1970s. Today, Philips leases the Magnavox name to Funai.

[TC Chris]

And the new branded products are completely unrelated to the name's origins, Latin for "big voice." Magnavox began making loudspeakers. Amps, radios, and phonos were a logical expansion. Maybe those air conditioners are really noisy....

Chris Campbell

[William]

Really! A/C units! And you could be right, Chris, window units are not normally quiet.

Bill

[19&41]

I've owned a few of the rebranded Funai products. They have done a good job. It's sad overhearing a person in a store discussing a potential purchase and speaking of a "brand name" product as though they were actually being manufactured by the company that has went belly up years ago.

[Firedome]

Exactly, clearly they're hoping to fool older un-informed buyers in that way... imagine that.
I'd venture that few people under 40 would ever have known what Westinghouse, Sylvania, RCA, &c used to be, so it's us oldsters they're trying to trick.

[19&41]

I also own a Frigidaire air conditioner manufactured by Electrolux, or at least for them.

[Firedome]

At least Electrolux is an appliance maker that has been around a long time. They bought up WCI (White Consolidated Industries) who bought the original Frigidaire from GM in 1979 and immediately cost-cut it to death. We had 2 Electrolux FD window units we bought in the last 5 years, both were quite good, but now replaced by a Mitsubishi mini-split. Electrolux actually made big improvements to the WCI line when they bought it, WCI-made stuff was always pretty mediocre... or worse.

[Motorola minion]

Exactly, clearly they're hoping to fool older un-informed buyers in that way... imagine that.
I'd venture that few people under 40 would ever have known what Westinghouse, Sylvania, RCA, &c used to be, so it's us oldsters they're trying to trick.

Hey! I resemble that, have to admit I will put a cast-metal "Westinghouse or GE" plate off a transformer or panelboard on a piece of otherwise unremarkable equipment to dress it up, for me only.

40 years ago, I had a roommate that brought his "rack system" branded "Pilot", and knew even way back then, we were being set up because it was SPC. I said nothing but secretly resented it displacing my HK-Dynaco-Dual-ADS setup because mine lacked a tape deck .

[William]

The only Electrolux items I have are vacuum cleaners, three to be exact. The oldest is a model 30, the middle is a G model, and the newest is a Super J. All work, and all are in use.

Bill