Branding and Marketing
Branding is defined (paraphrased) as the unique design and advertising given to a particular product or service that distinguishes it as unique. It is a key component of Marketing, which is eloquently defined as "The communication of value from business to customer..." (paraphrased again). These are two fields that I am highly interested in and continually study both in academic books, personal reading, and general observations in everyday life.
As a magician and psychological entertainer I have learned from real world experiences how our minds can be influenced and even manipulated in certain cases if situations and environments are presented in a certain manner. Using my skills and knowledge in this field has allowed me to develop theories as to why people make the decisions that they do in everyday life, from purchases to preferences. We make irrational choices each day even if we are aware of them, but one has benefited companies for years and no one can give a solid answer as to why.
Why do we put company logos on our bodies, our cars, and other forms of expressive space willingly and without compensation financially?
This is not an attack on the ideology, just research into why we behave in this manner.
A great example of the phenomenon of wearing a brand was expressed best in Simon Sinek's book
Start With Why. In this book, Sinek gives an example of people who wear Harley Davidson clothing and even get Harley Davidson tattoos. When you see someone who has a tattoo like this, we automatically make assumptions in our heads about who that person is.
They are someone who (clearly) loves motorcycles, I am sure they wear leather jackets, they probably are not vegan, they like to drink domestic beer, and they love to travel across the country (possibly). Whatever assumptions or feelings you may have had does not matter, but the fact that we can infer about a person's personality based on their purchases (or desired purchases) is stunning when you think about it objectively.
Our first thought of rationalizing this is that this person frequently rides motorcycles and thus enjoys high quality cycles, and therefore expresses their love for the high quality cycles that they purchase. We of course know, however, that is not necessarily true. People wear the logo because it tells you who they are as a person and not what kind of stuff they buy. Harley sells a lifestyle more than a quality product (even if the product is highest of quality). Suppose in another world that Toyota were to make a motorcycle VERY similar to a Harley - it outperformed in every measure of quality of motorcycle. You would not have a crowd of motorcyclists wearing Toyota logos on their arms!
Similarly, think about other high quality products - Oreos (Nabisco), Bic pens, Dell computers etc.
I cannot find any systematic flaw with an Oreo, and I would argue that they are (almost) a universally recognized brand of cookie. Oreos are, without a doubt, the NAME BRAND Chocolate cookie. Why then do we not see people with Nabisco tattoos or stickers on their cars? The same can be said of Dell, Bic, etc.
The said companies sell top quality products but do not provide a brand that identifies who they are as a company, or simply WHY they exist. This would certainly explain the high number of substitute goods (store brand oreos, off brand pens, HP computers etc.).
My final example which I've looked at the most is with a new, highly popular brand of high-end coolers called "Yeti". Yeti is a HIGHLY popular brand on my college campus at the University of South Carolina. Yeti sells (what many believe) to be the highest quality coolers on the market for fishing and hunting activities, and at a price - $300-$1200 for a single cooler! These coolers are bear proof, and highly insulated to the degree that they will keep ice frozen for days on end even in warm weather.
I have never known coolers to be too popular of an item for college students, aside from at pool parties and tailgates. Even at the pool and tailgates it logically would make sense to use $20 igloo coolers you find at Wal-Mart. Yet, this is not the case. Tons of students use Yeti coolers at their parties and tailgates, and proudly flaunt their ownership of said cooler. In fact, there is a whole trend of having young college girls pose in their underwear taking photos sitting on the cooler, sending the (assumed?) message that "This is a cool lifestyle and we're happy to be a part of it".
The most interesting part of the Yeti branding on college campuses is that these are NOT specialty cooler consumers. Many of the students I see who own a cooler do not hunt, fish, camp, or have any need for top end outdoor high-insulated coolers. There was no need for this product 20 years ago for a student and there is no need for it now. Yet, you can see them everywhere at a college tailgate! In addition to this, people post stickers, wear hats, and pay top dollar for other branding gear of A COOLER!
When students on my campus were asked why they flaunted the Yeti brand so much and either purchased (or desired to purchase) the $400 cooler, their responses were similar.
"This cooler is top end, you can put an ice cube in it and it will be there for a week!"
"I like to get stuff that is good quality and this is the best quality cooler"
Fair enough. But where is the demand for high end, high performance coolers in non-specialty markets? It is not existent - until now. Igloo brand coolers may have an equally high end cooler for a fraction of the cost, but you will not see people with Igloo t-shirts and Igloo butt trends. If it is the case that people buy because of quality products, this is not the case.
"People do not buy what you have, they buy WHY you do it..." - Simon Sinek,
Start with Why
In a non-business sense, we can still see these decisions being made in our day to day lives. We do not date for specific traits (money, humor, looks etc.) we date for what FEELS right. Typically what feels right is someone who believes what you believe.
This is a summation of current thoughts on marketing and branding and how they have influenced our rationale into making high end choices we may not have previously made.
