The world of business projects constant struggle for a place under the sun in a very cruel way. It is seen in examples of branding and re-branding. Brands attack us with well-composed phrases of their supremacy within other competitors. People are lost with information about products they use. The aim which everyone follows is to get more benefits out of this or that product. That is why producing companies tend to use every possibility to assure the population of quality of their production. In this case people are not aware of the real information about different hazards which brands carry.
First, there is a need to define the role of brands for companies and people sharing them. Brand is a “…name, term, or symbol designed to identify and differentiate the goods & services of a seller from all other sellers” (The Columbia Encyclopedia, 2007)
As usual, people tend to use those brands which symbolize a high quality, great representation and availability. People often think that checked products or services of experienced companies justify their requirements at the moment without realizing the idea that this is done to occupy a greater share of representation within society:
Most marketers point to product brands in discussing the use of customer emotions in building strong brands. It is, however, proposed here that emotions play an even more powerful role in the customer’s selection, satisfaction and loyalty toward service brands (Grane, 2007, 412).
When providing and releasing the products, people cope with the sphere of mental activity embodied in imagination. Many of the promoted brands captured mentality of people. The result is that people begin believing in labels and logos hanging them like descriptions of definite character or mood. By means of some psycho tricks marketing experts through the screens of TV sets and other commercials try to make people believe that this one is the best. In fact, it is a part of people’s associations in radial sequence. For example, when thinking about McDonald’s people imagine at the moment burgers, potato, café, communication, Ronald, quality, team-building process, and life freed from routine etc. Furthermore, usually the sign of the brand is called to make people buy them. Brands are ubiquitous. People seem to be involved in such games every now and then. It is actually a great weapon nowadays, which is not surprising. Human beings do not even realize the power of such mind-mapping and still criticize them for their irresponsibility and fake.
The economical growth provoked a high level of consumption in the United States and other developed countries. People are to use first, then to pay for this. This principle created the field of knowledge in marketing for some great companies to make money from one’s desires and passions. This type of attitude is called “affluenza”.
Affluenza is not confined to the United States. Through the promotion of staple consumer products like cigarettes and Coca-Cola, it is compromising the health and well-being of billions worldwide. Lifestyle diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases and cancers, caused more than 42 percent of the 55.7 million deaths in 2000 (World Watch, 2003.).
The promotion of well-known brands creates a whole vision of people who purchase them. Talking about the detergents and comparing them, in any case people will choose those of a higher promotion. It concerns such companies like Procter and Gamble in this sphere. Logically, a man can designate a high quality of a product by looking at supposed amounts of money spent on the commercials. One can easily suggest that in this company great resources are expended for research and control of the quality. In terms of real production process people stay uninformed. Surely, there are many cases of impropriety of products, which are passed over in silence not to blemish reputation.
The hazard of brands is growing up and there are no effective ways of its preventing until a man realizes it himself. No doubt, branding policy aims to gain great amounts of money. It is full of unpredictability and questions still remain to be answered. Among them are: what is the real consistency of the product, what are the precautions? In spite of a probable danger, there are also some benefits of brands for consumers, namely: responsibility, conveniences, belonging to the society, reduced risk, quality (Klein, 2001, 20).
The more people know, the less eat – a perfect proverb detecting the danger of making groceries and food on the whole. The life is given to us once, so mankind is to look after health and nation’s capability as well as ability to survive. For example, have a look at the fast-food industry, which influence on the society is truthfully tremendous! Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Burger King etc. resulted already in a high rate of cardiovascular diseases. Tobacco industry enslaved masses of men and women in the US causing cancer and plenty of diseases (World Watch, 2003). That situation spins out of control. There should be an immediate reaction until human beings appear dead.
Clive Hamilton in association with Richard Dennis tries to describe various situations that become unnoticeable for a man’s eye in the flow of advertisement development:
One parent reported how thrilled she was at the special service she received in shops because of her ‘funky’ toddler, Ponie, who was wearing a pink cashmere cardigan, striped Genko T-shirt and miniature Vans runners from Japan’.
She added, ‘She is wearing the worst shoes for her outfit, but I let her go (Hamilton and Denniss, 2005, 30).
People cannot but call it a case of complete idiocy. The reality is deceitful. It is only our imagination and outer efforts that make people submit what brands suggest. Unfortunately, the announcements have a great influence on people creating illusive pictures of a brand not of a product itself. There ought to be a suppression of people’s emotional burst and a survey on the problem from inside. A man is to have his own opinion about the intention of commercials. Naomi Klein in her book “No Logo” straightforwardly directs her efforts against the brand bullies. “The alternative to a world without possibility,” Klein proclaimed, “is not civil society–but civil disobedience.” (Klein 2001, 23)
Thus, due to the technical progress and various devices making man’s life easier, everyone certainly becomes accustomed to what people say. There are plenty of merchandisers, supervisors and other people, who are intended to promote their product by every suitable means (Hamilton and Denniss, 2005, 13).
This global market war is of huge size area. Americans are to figure out that life is not only a commonplace consumption. People are to realize the significance of the products or services they use or consume and then ask, for what purpose they are needed? A man should not only take, but also give. When consuming, one does not even realize, that he is rich (Economist, 2001).
To conclude, one should bear in mind that the brands are ubiquitous because in the modern world they point out to represent the interchange of values between consumers and companies.
Reference list
Grane, FG 2007, Building the service brand by creating and managing an emotional brand experience., Journal of Brand Management, no. 14, pp. 410–421.
Hamilton, C & Denniss, R 2005, Affluenza: When Too Much Is Never Enough. Crows Nest, N.S.W.: Allen & Unwin, Sydney.
Klein, N 2000, No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies, Knopf, Canada.
Clifton, R & Simmons, J 2004, Brands and Branding, edition 2, illustrated, Bloomberg Press.
Prugh, T & Assadourian, E 2003, ‘Affluenza’, World Watch, Vol. 16, p. 1.
The Columbia Encyclopedia, 2007, ‘Brand’, edition 6., p. 3759, Washington.