Say It Ain't So: “There’s no obvious premium for the Trump name.”

John Gittelsohn and Nadja Brandt of Bloomberg devote an incredible amount of space to the state of The Donald's brand. So much fun stuff here, starting with the dreaded brand dilution discussion.

“Once that branding decision has been diluted, it becomes difficult to charge a premium,” Feldmeth said. “He has cashed out. He’s become kind of a circus sideshow. He’s not making smart luxury decisions.”

Trump, 64, says the popularity of his brand continues to grow and helped him navigate the recession better than most real estate developers.

“The name is hotter than ever,” he said during an interview at his 26th floor office in Manhattan’s Trump Tower, where he has a view of Fifth Avenue, the Plaza Hotel and Central Park. “It’s been hot as a pistol.”

Are we talking about a hitter or a brand here Donald?

Trump is expanding his golf holdings as the number of private clubs in the U.S. fell to 4,256 this year, down 3.4 percent from 2008, according to the National Golf Foundation. In addition to owning courses, he also stars in “Donald J. Trump’s Fabulous World of Golf” on the Golf Channel, which starts its second season Jan 31.

Well at least we know the audience for that will be tiny.

The Trump name hasn’t prevented a decline in initiation fees at Trump clubs as the recession weighs on consumers’ discretionary spending. At the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey, for example, initiation fees have dropped as low as $150,000 today from as high as $300,000 before the recession, Donald Trump said.

Who'd a thunk it?

Instead of licensing his name, Trump paid $3.7 million of his own funds last Christmas for a lease with an option to buy the Pine Hill Golf Club in New Jersey out of foreclosure. Trump changed the name to Trump National Golf Club Philadelphia after the nearby city. He repainted the brown clubhouse white and increased membership by 200 to 330.

“I fixed it,” he said. “I re-branded it and the people are through the roof.”

Engineers, ask what (The Donald's) branding can do for you!

In June, Trump won preliminary planning approval to develop a 1,400-acre (567-hectare) estate north of Aberdeen, Scotland, where construction has begun on a course in his mother’s homeland and birthplace of the game he said he now plays with “a good 2” handicap.

As opposed to a bad 2!

This may come as news to some in Scotland...