Going all the way back to ancient Sumeria, branding is how merchant houses distinguished their wares and allowed them to start trading goods beyond the local marketplace.
With sales incentives offering interest rates all the way down to zero, the car companies eventually have to funnel money into their credit subsidiaries to balance the books, so loss-making consumer-goods makers are lending money to customers to buy their wares.
That small number Wei quoted would presumably fund business with an online storefront and a small amount of goods, which could be sold for proceeds to pay the loan and buy more wares.
With dairy producers racing to Washington with their wares, the makers of butter, cheese, yogurt, and other dairy goods would trek around the world looking for cheaper milk to buy.