global. 2009.12.4 - A recent question in
LinkedIn, addressed brand longevity and brand recognition, inviting responses as to the world's oldest perceived brand.
Naturally, the phrase 'oldest perceived' is subject to birthplace, native language, the extent of geographical interest, literacy and/or travel. For instance, there are many ancient sake distilleries, which are almost entirely unknown outside of Japan!
There are undoubtedly artisan families which have passed on knowledge to their descendants over millenia, prior to the concept of a modern business entity and even reliable written records.
For example, Chinese porcelain has existed since 1600 BC and there is a high likelyhood of families continuously involved in pottery making over many centuries. And, with a family name like Goldsmiths, it is reasonable to expect that the craft well predates the UK jewelery company founded in 1778!
However, (according to
Wikipedia), of the seven extant companies or brands (excluding associations, educational, government or religious organizations) which were formed before 1000 A.D., six are from Japan. The oldest of all is
Kongo Gumi, a Japanese Construction company founded in 578.
Later Japanese brands include the massive 'Kairetsu' (or diversified group of companies)
Sumitomo (1590) and world famous food producer Kikkoman (1630).
Alcoholic beverages and hotels comprise the majority of the longest lasting brands, but one of the oldest, which some English speakers will recognise, is the Italian glass manufacturer
Barovier&Toso, founded in 1295.
According to an AC Nielsen study; based on sales, the largest global brand is Coca-Cola, (with sales of over US$19 billion in 2002). However, longevity does not necessarily correlate with size, as many of the oldest brands have fewer than 300 employees!
What these brands do share is the perception of luxury. It is understandable that a product (or in the case of a hotel, a service), with a long lineage, would retain a certain cachet and reputation. For instance, Mulliner coachbuilding dates back 400 years to early British horse-drawn vehicles. Now owned by Bentley, the Mulliner brand conveys the luxury of hand-worked, quality materials.
Of companies formed more than 200 years ago, some of the globally recognisable brands include:
Beverages:
Stella Artois (1366), Einbecker (1378), Löwenbräu (1383), Bols (1575), Twinings (1706), Remy Martin (1724), Taittinger (1734), Guinness (1759), Hennessy (1765), Veuve Clicquot (1772), Schweppes (1783), Piper-Heidsieck (1785), Jim Beam (1795), Maison Louis Latour (1797) and Chivas (1802);
Japanese retailers:
Matsuzakaya (1611), Mitsukoshi (1673), Daimaru (1717);
Porcelainware:
Meissen (1710), Villeroy & Boch (1748), Coalport (1750), Royal Worcester (1751), Wedgwood (1759), Royal Copenhagen (1775);
Watchmakers:
Blancpain (1735), Vacheron Constantin (1755), Girard-Perregaux (1791);
.. and Mulliner (1599), London Gazette (1665), Gaggenau (1683), Lloyd's of London (1688), Fortnum & Mason (1707), Royal Bank of Scotland (1727), Kosta Boda (1742), Pennsylvania Hospital (1752), MAN (1758), Faber-Castell (1761), Christies (1766), Encyclopædia Britannica (1768), Yardley (1770), Birkenstock (1774), Bolshoi (1776), Old Farmer's Almanac (1792), JPMorgan Chase (1799), Fuji Logitech (1801), DuPont (1802) and Colgate (1806).
As for Kongo Gumi in Japan, the company continues to build traditional wood and stone structures, and despite this ancient art, has still kept up with the times, as its' website demonstrates.
