Because everything else they do is so good. Harman has set standards for high quality for quite some time. By producing an inferior quality colour film they are damaging their brand.
By hey, perhaps that's the future!
Most people when they see my film cameras ask, "can you still get film?" Black and white would probably blow their mind that it's even still available.
I don't follow the obsession with distinguishing between these two names. We know (I think?) that it's only a legal/contractual nicety that 'they' are selling Phoenix under the brand Harman instead of Ilford. The actual physical people, the machines they used, and the buildings they were standing in are the same as the ones that make the Ilford films, so does it make any difference which we, or the man from Ilford, say?
What's in a name? I know British people who are still pissed off that Marathon became Snickers here 35 years ago....
First off, I completely fail to see how putting out an experimental colour film under the Harman name with no mention if Ilford anywhere can possibly damage the reputation of Ilford films....or for that matter Kentmere. There's more chance of the "other Ilford" putting out ilfocolor causing damage to the reputation of our beloved line of B&W films.
And sure, *we* would buy HP5+, Delta and so on under Harman or whatever name they chose if they were unable to use the Ilford moniker....but we are the exceptions....Most of us here are familiar with the whole Harman/Ilford/Kentmere/"other Ilford" situation enough to at least know who makes what. The newbie photographer ordering film online or wandering into a shop does not, and honestly probably doesn't care.
The actual physical people and machines make Ilford and Kentmere film....but the two brands have co-existed for some years harmoniously operating in slightly different sectors of the market. Now Harman does likewise.
Specifically looking at Roger Cole's comment, that was certainly the case a few years ago. Up until about 2018/2019 people who encountered me out and about with film cameras assumed they were not loaded with film. Some would approach me and ask. Some clearly thought me quite mad. That has changed, certainly around England and Wales. But there's still confusion as to what film is available. Some people remember reading about Ilford going bang in 2005 and assume that there's been no new Ilford film ever since. Which is a bit odd since, even in my home town, I can point them to at least three shops in the town centre that stock it and have it out on display. But....most people just aren't that interested. And they're not going to know or care about the difference between Harman, Ilford and Kentmere. All they know, if they take any interested at all, is that there's a new colour film around. Which gets the whole hobby and industry that little bit more exposure.
We're back to navel gazing...."we want more colour film!"....."NO!! NOT LIKE THAT!"
I rather like the VAG group analogy. The same company owns Audi, VW, Seat and Skoda. There's some competition at certain price points but for the most part the cars are sufficiently differently placed that they don't often compete directly with each other. Each brand retains some identity and personality of it's own.
