Ray-Ban is facing increasing pressure from higher-priced brands of sunglasses bearing the names of fashion designers like Dior and Gucci.

- would combine lower-priced products like Great Lash with the higher-priced brands sold by L'Oreal, which now ranks fourth in the $6 billion American cosmetics industry.

Exacerbating that threat to higher-priced brands, he added, is the "overchoice" that consumers perceive confronts them when staring at supermarket shelves.

Of the estimated 1.3 million to 1.5 million stand mixers sold annually, Ms. Bunnell said, the market share for higher-priced brands has now grown to 56 percent.

The results are T-shirts and thermals with flocking, silver printing and embroideries typical of higher-priced brands.

Although some industry analysts have expressed concerns that a discount film might pull sales away from Kodak's higher-priced brands, thereby reducing profits, investors generally appeared unconcerned.

Does the driver who insists on a higher-priced brand of gasoline guard his automobile from decay and disruption?

For others, the higher-priced brands like Jan Marini and Prescriptives might prove to be better.

Safeway, for example, has created a signature brand of beef, Rancher's Reserve, and has been heavily promoting the brand to compete with higher-priced national brands.

In every case, the ads are for higher-priced brands like Cuervo 1800 and Sauza tequilas, Tanqueray and Stolichnaya.