Brand robbery: March 01, 1999 issue of New Thinking

March 01, 1999 New Thinking:
Brand robbery

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March 01, 1999

Brand robbery

By Gerry McGovern

It used to be that brands stood as a mark of quality, that they signified ownership and place of manufacture. Nowadays, brands are increasingly becoming icons of a particular life style and attitude.

As a parent, I am keenly aware of my children’s need to be seen wearing the right runners and track suits. Durability and comfort and very much secondary to them. Even color and style are not that important. The brand name is becoming everything.

To some degree they want to wear the brand to stand out. In another sense, they need to wear the brand to fit in. It is a strange irony that in this age of the individual we are so focused on branding ourselves, stamping our heads, chest, legs and feet with names and logos, telling to the world in determined tones just who the manufacturer of our clothes are.

Of course, companies such as Nike aren’t really ‘manufacturers.’ Not physical manufacturers anyway. No, Nike is a pure marketing organization that out-sources the manufacturing of its products to the cheapest labor source. Nike, and so many other clothing and footwear companies like it, manufactures and sells dreams.

Ironically, these icons of high life had lowly roots. Runners and track suits were initially popularized in the black ghettos of America. Rappers made big statements with them, not because they were exclusive garments, but simply because they were all they had to work with.

There was a time that runners and track suits were totally and absolutely frowned on. There were so many establishments that simply would not let you in if you were wearing them.

When you walk into a shop today the only thing that a brand guarantees is that you will pay a premium price. In fact, if you look closely at the lesser known brand, it may strike you that the two pieces of footwear are almost identical. You might even think that they were made in the same factory, using the same material and processes. And, do you know, you would probably be right.

I can’t help but feeling that we are creating a most strange world. At the one end, price cutting has become a religious obsession, while at the other, the brand makes us pay, not for the great material or design, but rather for the great ad of the basketball player jumping that jump.

It’s hilarious really – as we near the new millennium we the consumers have become the major employers of marketers and advertisers.

Are we missing community? Are we missing that sense of tribalism and belonging? Are we missing the religious experience and devotion? Our children today are devoted to their brands. They cling to them and hold them dear. They build their little gangs around them. Our children adore and offer prayers to soccer teams and sports stars. Their walls are plastered with images and icons that make them feel good about themselves.

We parents struggle to keep up. It stings us every time we have to pay extra for the wild promise of the brand. Will we someday see a consumer rebellion against the tyranny of the brand? Will parents just simply refuse to spend and children lose interest.

Or will we all be willing to continue to invest in the brand to create a bond of membership; a dream weaver that knits a society loosely together?

Gerry McGovern

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At the one end, price cutting has become a religious obsession, while at the other, the brand makes us pay.