Will Anyone Listen To A Dead Brand Revived?

I was very little, but I do remember the ubiquitous E.F. Hutton commercials:

Now, Ad Age is reporting on the resurrection of the brand:

Use of the Hutton brand was dropped after Primerica Corp. bought Shearson Lehman Hutton in 1993 and merged it with Smith Barney. Members of the alumni group bought the Hutton brand from an investor outfit more than a year ago, Mr. Daniels said. Citigroup Inc., which had owned the Hutton brand, sold the name as part of its asset sales after the financial crisis, he said.

Mr. Campanale said, “the Hutton brand is well-known, and resonates with investors and clients. That’s something a lot of firms are missing.”

This is a question for you brand people out there: Is there still equity in a name like E.F. Hutton after all these years? Has the world moved on? Frankly, you’ve got to be of a certain age to have any love or respect for it. And even that’s not going to get the new owners far, because all their old customers have put their money somewhere else.