Analogical extension of a name does not dilute its brand power.

Evidence

It could be objected that it is now common to speak of both criminal gangs and collusive networks of privilege as “mafias.” But this transportation is not a direct attribution of authenticity (it is far easier to claim some resemblance than to pretend to be the real thing); and repetitions by analogy do not weaken a name in the same way as a plethora of competing attributions would. There have been several groups known as the Black Hand, too, and in this case repetition was in fact damaging since it was not possible for any one group to appear more authentic than any other. And should the real group find repetition by analogy annoying, there would still be a solution: unlike mafia, the name Cosa Nostra has so far been affected by neither transposition nor translation, a further advantage which might explain its apparent success within the organization. — Diego Gambetta, The Sicilian Mafia The Business of…, 368

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the reader’s Gambetta/Schelling frame: distinguishes ‘imitation of resemblance’ from ‘claiming authenticity’ — the difference between credible and non-credible commitment signaling.