Bonfire of the Brands
drivingrl
Posts: 1,448
I would so much call this guy 'shallow' as I would 'slow.'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/5292860.stm
We are surrounded by myriad brands, flashing neon signs, billboards, labels on our heads, feet and bodies, and the objects we hold in our hands. But what happens when one man tries to live without them?
I am addicted to brands. For as long as I can remember, they have occupied my thoughts during the waking day. What they look like, what they do, what they mean.
The majority of my modest income has been spent on them and I've gone to great lengths to acquire and be around them. I am a music promoter and style magazine editor by trade. In the first case that means putting on events that are often sponsored by brands. In the second it means understanding, keeping up with and talking about brands. Constantly.
As a young teenager, all I ever wanted to do was to work with my favourite brands - Adidas, Technics, Budweiser, Sony - the names that were plastered over the things I craved to own.
Where some boys had posters of footballers or movie stars on their walls, I had images of trainers and turntables - to be surrounded by these names made me feel better about myself, transforming me from my humdrum middle class life in south London suburbia.
But in less than a month's time, I am going to burn every branded thing in my possession. Gucci shoes, Habitat chairs, even Simple soap. I have reached the point in my life where I can no longer be around these things, no matter how special they make me feel. Yes, it is going to be a terrible waste, yes I'll no doubt feel lost when they're gone, but at this moment in time, it seems the only thing I can do.
Brands are all around us. In our homes, on our way to work, in the places we socialise and plastered over the things that entertain us.
Some brands are causes for celebration, being symbols of status or objects of beauty (BMW). Others are the subject of ridicule, somehow signifying a state in life which we cannot slip below (Skoda). In both cases, we take for granted that brands and their messages (advertising) are ever-present in our lives. This is what has come to worry me.
I belong to a generation that has been continually sold-to, almost from birth. If someone had taken the time to videotape my life, in a Truman Show type of way, there would be less than a few hours of tape in which there were no brands on the screen. On my food, on my clothes, on the telly and in my brain.
It is estimated that the average Briton receives over 3,000 advertising messages a day, and my brain's full of them: Mr Muscle loves the jobs you hate; Burger King flame grilled whopper for only £2.99; new Elvive anti-breakage shampoo from L'Oreal Paris; Oral B pulsar, changing the way you brush forever... and on it goes.
From an early age, I have been taught that to be accepted, to be loveable, to be cool, one must have the right stuff. At junior school, I tried to make friends with the popular kids, only to be ridiculed for the lack of stripes on my trainers.
Once I had nagged my parents to the point of buying me the shoes I was duly accepted at school, and I became much happier as a result. As long as my parents continued to buy me the brands, life was more fun. Now, at the age of 31, I still behave according to playground law.
I have been topping up my self-esteem and my social status by buying the right branded things, so that I feel good about myself, so that people can know who I am. In my world, the implications of wearing a crocodile as opposed to a polo player on the breast of one's shirt are of crucial importance. Understanding the differences between Dualit and Dyson, and what they say about their owners is reflection of style and good taste.
By now you're thinking that I am a particularly shallow individual, and to a certain extent, you'd be right. But I think that in small ways, we all behave like this in our daily lives. A stranger waves as they drive past in the same model car as our own. Snap judgments are made on youths dressed in white Reeboks and hoodies. That little bit extra spent on our favourite name brands in the supermarket is a small price to pay because we're worth it.
The manner in which we spend our money defines who we are. This theory isn't exactly new. Thorstein Veblen conjured the phrase "conspicuous consumption" back in 1899 in his book the Theory of the Leisure Class. In this secular society of ours, where family and church once gave us a sense of belonging, identity and meaning, there is now Apple, Mercedes and Coke.
These brands offer us a set of beliefs and goals which we can aspire to. Is this sounding far fetched? Don't take it from me, here's Kevin Roberts, worldwide CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi.
"For great brands to survive, they must create loyalty beyond reason. The secret is the use of mystery, sensuality and intimacy... the power to create long term emotional connections with consumers."
Being the gullible fool that I am, I believed in the promises that these brands made to me; that I would be more attractive, more successful, more happy for buying their stuff. However, the highs of consumerism have been accompanied by a continual, dull ache, growing slowly as the years have gone by; a melancholy that until recently I could not understand.
I now realise that it's these damn brands that are the source of the pain. For every new status symbol I acquire, for every new extension to my identity that I buy, I lose a piece of myself to the brands. I placed my trust, even some love with these companies, and what have I had in return for my loyalty and my faith? Absolutely nothing. How could they, they're just brands.
So, this is why I am burning all my stuff. To find real happiness, to find the real me, I must get rid of it all and start again, a brand-free life, if that is indeed possible. Perhaps if I consume on the basis of need instead of want, on utility instead of status, I might start to value material things for the right reasons. For the time being, I can only hope.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/5292860.stm
We are surrounded by myriad brands, flashing neon signs, billboards, labels on our heads, feet and bodies, and the objects we hold in our hands. But what happens when one man tries to live without them?
I am addicted to brands. For as long as I can remember, they have occupied my thoughts during the waking day. What they look like, what they do, what they mean.
The majority of my modest income has been spent on them and I've gone to great lengths to acquire and be around them. I am a music promoter and style magazine editor by trade. In the first case that means putting on events that are often sponsored by brands. In the second it means understanding, keeping up with and talking about brands. Constantly.
As a young teenager, all I ever wanted to do was to work with my favourite brands - Adidas, Technics, Budweiser, Sony - the names that were plastered over the things I craved to own.
Where some boys had posters of footballers or movie stars on their walls, I had images of trainers and turntables - to be surrounded by these names made me feel better about myself, transforming me from my humdrum middle class life in south London suburbia.
But in less than a month's time, I am going to burn every branded thing in my possession. Gucci shoes, Habitat chairs, even Simple soap. I have reached the point in my life where I can no longer be around these things, no matter how special they make me feel. Yes, it is going to be a terrible waste, yes I'll no doubt feel lost when they're gone, but at this moment in time, it seems the only thing I can do.
Brands are all around us. In our homes, on our way to work, in the places we socialise and plastered over the things that entertain us.
Some brands are causes for celebration, being symbols of status or objects of beauty (BMW). Others are the subject of ridicule, somehow signifying a state in life which we cannot slip below (Skoda). In both cases, we take for granted that brands and their messages (advertising) are ever-present in our lives. This is what has come to worry me.
I belong to a generation that has been continually sold-to, almost from birth. If someone had taken the time to videotape my life, in a Truman Show type of way, there would be less than a few hours of tape in which there were no brands on the screen. On my food, on my clothes, on the telly and in my brain.
It is estimated that the average Briton receives over 3,000 advertising messages a day, and my brain's full of them: Mr Muscle loves the jobs you hate; Burger King flame grilled whopper for only £2.99; new Elvive anti-breakage shampoo from L'Oreal Paris; Oral B pulsar, changing the way you brush forever... and on it goes.
From an early age, I have been taught that to be accepted, to be loveable, to be cool, one must have the right stuff. At junior school, I tried to make friends with the popular kids, only to be ridiculed for the lack of stripes on my trainers.
Once I had nagged my parents to the point of buying me the shoes I was duly accepted at school, and I became much happier as a result. As long as my parents continued to buy me the brands, life was more fun. Now, at the age of 31, I still behave according to playground law.
I have been topping up my self-esteem and my social status by buying the right branded things, so that I feel good about myself, so that people can know who I am. In my world, the implications of wearing a crocodile as opposed to a polo player on the breast of one's shirt are of crucial importance. Understanding the differences between Dualit and Dyson, and what they say about their owners is reflection of style and good taste.
By now you're thinking that I am a particularly shallow individual, and to a certain extent, you'd be right. But I think that in small ways, we all behave like this in our daily lives. A stranger waves as they drive past in the same model car as our own. Snap judgments are made on youths dressed in white Reeboks and hoodies. That little bit extra spent on our favourite name brands in the supermarket is a small price to pay because we're worth it.
The manner in which we spend our money defines who we are. This theory isn't exactly new. Thorstein Veblen conjured the phrase "conspicuous consumption" back in 1899 in his book the Theory of the Leisure Class. In this secular society of ours, where family and church once gave us a sense of belonging, identity and meaning, there is now Apple, Mercedes and Coke.
These brands offer us a set of beliefs and goals which we can aspire to. Is this sounding far fetched? Don't take it from me, here's Kevin Roberts, worldwide CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi.
"For great brands to survive, they must create loyalty beyond reason. The secret is the use of mystery, sensuality and intimacy... the power to create long term emotional connections with consumers."
Being the gullible fool that I am, I believed in the promises that these brands made to me; that I would be more attractive, more successful, more happy for buying their stuff. However, the highs of consumerism have been accompanied by a continual, dull ache, growing slowly as the years have gone by; a melancholy that until recently I could not understand.
I now realise that it's these damn brands that are the source of the pain. For every new status symbol I acquire, for every new extension to my identity that I buy, I lose a piece of myself to the brands. I placed my trust, even some love with these companies, and what have I had in return for my loyalty and my faith? Absolutely nothing. How could they, they're just brands.
So, this is why I am burning all my stuff. To find real happiness, to find the real me, I must get rid of it all and start again, a brand-free life, if that is indeed possible. Perhaps if I consume on the basis of need instead of want, on utility instead of status, I might start to value material things for the right reasons. For the time being, I can only hope.
drivingrl: "Will I ever get to meet Gwen Stefani?"
kevinbeetle: "Yes. When her career washes up and her and Gavin move to Galveston, you will meet her at Hot Topic shopping for a Japanese cheerleader outfit.
Next!"
kevinbeetle: "Yes. When her career washes up and her and Gavin move to Galveston, you will meet her at Hot Topic shopping for a Japanese cheerleader outfit.
Next!"
Post edited by Unknown User on
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Comments
I did the same thing to get a Schwinn Sting-Ray instead of the no-name imitation banana seat bicycle from Zodys.
Hail, Hail!!!
I've pretty much removed advertising from my life. I don't watch tv or listen to commercial radio, I've got Adblock installed on Firefox, and people laugh at me for the vehemence with which I refuse to look at billboards or newspaper ads. So I'm certainly no judge of what's fashionable, haha. I make my purchasing decisions based on quality ... sometimes I wind up with a name brand, sometimes I don't. I'm a lot happier this way, and I know my own mind. When I decide to buy something, I know that it's because I like it, not because I've been taught or programmed or convinced somehow to believe it's something I need.
I'm somewhat of a label whore... I swear by InterState Megatron Batteries for the car because I have seen them perform in extreme conditions. I also swear by Nikon optics... although their (digital camera) electronics are questionable. I used believe in Sony, but, man... have they gone downhill. Forget about car companies.
I don't care anything about clothing... except for size, comfort and price. If Costco has a close out on cargo pants... I buy a couple of three pairs, regardless of color or label or design... so i won't have to buy more in the future. Same goes for shoes... Nike, Addias, New Balance... whatever is on the clearance shelf at the Sportsmart. Needless to say... I wear really ugly running shoes.
Hail, Hail!!!
My shoes are a different story...........being on the large end of the runner's size spectrum, I quickly learned that I had to be picky about my shoes. A stress fracture of the shin will teach you many things, grasshopper.
that's extremely difficult, but praisworthy, to eliminate advertisingfrom your life. It seems those advertising whores have infiltrated almost every media in our lives. Friends can advertise a product in some cases, they don't even know it. Movies...news, everywhere you look it seems someone is trying to sell you something, subtle in some cases, sometimes not. That's cool that you can remove yourself from that...I try too, that's for sure.
Also, customer service is important...I had duracel batteries leak in a radio a while back, notified them, and they sent me a brand new radio - i didn't even ask for it. If a business does something like that, I try to remain loyal, other wise I just want stuff that works.
And I try to make this kind and clear
Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days
Cuz I don't need boxes wrapped in strings
And desire and love and empty things
Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days
I don't know you all that well, but you seem smart enough (as most people are) to buy things that are of higher quality, regardless of how many advertisements you see
And I try to make this kind and clear
Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days
Cuz I don't need boxes wrapped in strings
And desire and love and empty things
Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days
I think this guy is nuts. I love certain brands.
Whole Foods Market is the shit.
Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.
-Oscar Wilde
They made me hate capers. I went in, ordered a salmon wrap...I got a few bits of salmon surrounded by a ton of capers. To this day, even the thought of capers makes me want to run to the local driving range, and stroll in front of all the angry golfers!
And I try to make this kind and clear
Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days
Cuz I don't need boxes wrapped in strings
And desire and love and empty things
Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days
I dont eat salmon and i dont know what capers are. lol@my lack of seafood knowledge.
But I was lucky enough to have a Whole Foods and a Trader Joes less then a mile away from my apartment.
I gag at the sight of capers. Blegh!
Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.
-Oscar Wilde
It's not a question of intelligence, it's a matter of being bombarded with labels and logos and jingles and other advertising messages all day long. If it didn't work, it wouldn't be a multi-billion dollar industry.
But avoiding most of it was pretty easy, I did it by accident. I stopped listening to the radio years ago when all the stations started sounding the same, and that eliminated a lot. I gave up television a few years back when I got so disgusted with the rah-rah war coverage that I couldn't stand to see it anymore. The less I was exposed to, the more I noticed how insulting most ads are when I would see them in magazines or newspapers, so I stopped reading them. It also helps that I'm in my own little world most of the time and tend to be somewhat oblivious to my surroundings, lol. I never paid much attention to things like billboards or the sides of buses in the first place.
it's not that difficult. it just requires discipline. i do not buy brands, i do not allow my younger children to wear them or use them. i nod good naturedly when my children rush into me with news of the lastest 'must have' toy. my son has been becrying his lack of nintendo type sytem for a few years now and still i have managed to keep that door closed. it is much more rewarding to me as a parent to watch him build contraptions out of his legos or see him out on the street playing than it is to have him sitting numb headed in front of the video game screen.
sure you see advertising everywhere but that doesn't mean you have to pay it any attention. i have learnt over the past few years to ignore it. it offends me way more than any graffitti ever could.
the rule in my house is if i don't need it, if i only merely want it, then it doesn't get bought.
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
Bwahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
High Traffic ART EZI FTJ JSR KPA PCD SYN ULX VLB YHF
Low Traffic CIO MIW
Non Traffic ABC BAY FDU GBZ HNC NDP OEM ROV TMS ZWL
there is no advertisement aimed at consumers that i can not nullify.
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
Also had the impression that he was shallow to the estreme, had absolutely no esteem or control over his brand addiction.
IF you can't, as a person, see that paying 200 bucks for a pair of jeans (which cost the manufacturer less than a buck to produce, which has the blood and ripped fingernails of child labourers as an externalised cost) or a shirt is wrong, and that purchase is based on the ideal of an image you percieve to be correct based on advertising, then yeah, you need more than just a touch of help.
"I never knew soap made you taller..."
How do I decide?
I've got people coming over!
How about Budweiser?
The votes: Meh. or I guess. Um, yeah, sure.
It's LCDB, or lowest common denominator beer. It's no one's favorite, but most people can stomach it. Hell, I think I just came up with their new slogan.
Of course, I can't drink it. It usually gives me a headache before it gives me a buzz - which, in the High Court of Tore Up from the Floor Up, is a capital offense.
TO HELL WITH ALL THE CAPER HATE! CAPERS RULE OVER ALL Y'ALL AND YOU KNOW IT!!
Now I'm hungry. Perhaps a little lox and cream cheese topped with some capers will hit the spot.
It also helps me focus on just how firtunate I am, and to enjoy what I have and appreciate it. I know I'm not getting that new guitar or mountain bike, so I have no choice but to focus on what I have.
It also helps in teaching my son about the big picture. He tells me based on the amount of riding I do and how much I love it that I should have a new and better bike. Then I get to tell him "No, people should not be going to bed hungry or dieing from a lack of potable water. Millions of kids in Africa should not be orphans due to Aids. I want a bike and it's going to stay a want until my current bike breaks and it becomes a need."
Even though it's hard not to dream of having all my wants, I also know I'm happier leaving them as wants. It's just not a path that leads to personal fulfillment for me.
when it hits you, you feel to pain.
So brutalize me with music.”
~ Bob Marley
I can understand how they could make someone hate them if not used in moderation, though.
cross the river to the eastside
Do you want them because of the advertising or because you can really use them? Can one determine that?
The branding issue is difficult to deal with because it's just everywhere! I try not to advertise on myself (though I do for bands), but other than that I try to avoid visible labels. I get a lot of clothing locally, and am going to learn how to make my own. But I can't avoid branding in other things I buy, like Apple products or certain beverages (hello, Stoli!) or food. But I choose what I think is quality. I fricken love Apple, not because of their ads (though they're sometimes funny), but because I've had my puter for years and never had a problem. Never had a problem with any Apple product I've purchased, actually. I don't know, I guess I try not to align myself with too much, but there are some that I'm kind of loyal to.
I think the one thing I'd actually whore myself for in a commercial is jetBlue. I want to fly nothing but jetBlue (please open in Chicago, a-holes!).
cross the river to the eastside
Look at the ice now... what do you see? Have your tickets gotten cheaper? They were supposed to. That was the trade off... advertisements in exchange for cheaper tickets. (The same thing was supposed to happen with concerts, once corporate sponsorship of them stepped in). We were supposed to get cheaper tickets... how are the tickect prices in your hometown Hockey Rink?
Hail, Hail!!!
Then there are those things I have no brand loyalty to. Food I'm picky about because I care what goes into me. Booze I'm picky about, I drink for quality now not quantity, so I really want to enjoy each sip. Clothes I don't really care at all, 95% I get at work for free. Car, don't care just give me good gas mileage. I am a sucker for travelling and 2/3 of my carbon imprint is due to travel by plane. I pretty much only fly one airline in order to make point accumulation quicker and easier.
when it hits you, you feel to pain.
So brutalize me with music.”
~ Bob Marley
Budweiser's advertisement is more about market share. Their main competitors are Coor's light and Miller. They are of about the same quality. But like someone else said, everyone has different tastes. But the thing is, people are drinking beer. It just so happens that people like to get drunk, so they drink cheap beer that is relatively tolerable (i.e. Budweiser). But if they don't advertise, people don't know about them compared to Coor's and Miller.
To me, it IS a matter of intelligence and personal responsibility. Personally, I think it's degrading to think that people sit at home, and are forced to buy certain brands because they are "bombarded" by ads and jingles. Actually, if you ARE motivated to react in such a way, you aren't smart, or have absolutely no self-control, or a little of column A or a little of column B.
As far as them being a multi-billion dollar industry - they offer a product that a lot of people want in mass quantities at a reasonable price and at a somewhat reasonable quality. Why shouldn't they make billions of dollars?
And I try to make this kind and clear
Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days
Cuz I don't need boxes wrapped in strings
And desire and love and empty things
Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days
I used to be really into brands, everything had to have a brand name on it. Now, the only brand I really swear by is Levi 501 Jeans. They're just more comfy. There are definitley the name brand sluts at my school. Most of the time, I wear band shirts. I think, as sad as it is, most groups have their certain brand or image type thing, that everyone confirms too. I'll have to see this year, but all the skater kids are wearing the same thing, the wiggers, etc.....