Jim, that's a great point about kit provenance. It IS all upside to announce a new tool kit, and the manufacturers would surely benefit from putting that information out there. There is usually an upside when kits are re-issued too, for reasons like demand for a kit that's been out of production,or some things like photo-etch, better decals, etc., being added,or the maker seeing a new opportunity to sell a kit to younger modelers who weren't around for the initial release. Manufacturers could benefit from the "Re-Issue" angle as well, showing how a kit from 10,15, even 20 years ago has stood the test of time, or has new parts, and is still fun to build. The rivet-counters will look elsewhere, but they aren't "EveryModeler," to coin a term, and every old kit was once a "New Tool." It seems to come down to being able to recognize value, good marketing, and accentuating the positive.
