Brands®️
Posted: Wed May 18, 2022 9:19 pm
Kind of an all-purpose thread. I'd rather it in N&D versus GD because of the economic, environmental, sociological, and philosophical nature of brands. For "brands" in this thread, I'm basically talking about consumer products and services specifically.
Things I love about brands:
-Guarantee of consistency. ex: I like that I know I'm getting a quality sock when I buy a Saucony variety pack from Amazon. I know what to expect at a Pearl Jam show.
-Personality. This is a double-edged sword, because so so many brands come across as inauthentic, but every once in a while you'll find a brand that just gets you. I like when a brand develops an authentic voice and becomes part of the cultural zeitgeist
-Availability and universality. Tying in with the whole zeitgeist thing, I like that I can talk about a brand in Texas that someone else likes in Tivoli. I also love learning about other regional brands I can't get here.
-Good brands and good companies are good employers. This should be self-explanatory, but I've met a lot of people who are very fulfilled and happy working for a brand who has their back and gives them room to grow. With big brands can come big opportunity, and this is a good thing for a whole community.
Things I loathe about brands:
-Kind of tying in with things I love #1, I hate the sameness of brands. The more logos out there, the less unique existence seems for me. Kind of shallow to admit, but I am becoming increasingly aware of brands and logos on people and things. Kind of like Cayce Pollard, the fictional logo-allergic character in Pattern Recognition. I long for a world with less in-your-face branding everywhere.
-Influencers. I can't escape them. I might just want to watch a shoe review or get a Fantano take on a new album, but in the back of my mind, even if they say it isn't happening, I just know there's some sort of deal going on behind the scenes to get this product hyped. Feels the exact opposite of authentic.
-Brand and Identity. "I've always been a Levi's guy." "Jameson is my brand, man." "Oh I know her. She's the girl who ALWAYS has a different pair of Vans on." Fuck that. No one need to be so loyal to a brand that it becomes your identity. This brand isn't paying you.
-Bad brands and companies stain a community. Labor exploits. Ill-advised "woke" campaigns. Environmental impact. Yikes.
Anyway, this is my thread about brands. I hope some people smarter than me can make it a good one.
Things I love about brands:
-Guarantee of consistency. ex: I like that I know I'm getting a quality sock when I buy a Saucony variety pack from Amazon. I know what to expect at a Pearl Jam show.
-Personality. This is a double-edged sword, because so so many brands come across as inauthentic, but every once in a while you'll find a brand that just gets you. I like when a brand develops an authentic voice and becomes part of the cultural zeitgeist
-Availability and universality. Tying in with the whole zeitgeist thing, I like that I can talk about a brand in Texas that someone else likes in Tivoli. I also love learning about other regional brands I can't get here.
-Good brands and good companies are good employers. This should be self-explanatory, but I've met a lot of people who are very fulfilled and happy working for a brand who has their back and gives them room to grow. With big brands can come big opportunity, and this is a good thing for a whole community.
Things I loathe about brands:
-Kind of tying in with things I love #1, I hate the sameness of brands. The more logos out there, the less unique existence seems for me. Kind of shallow to admit, but I am becoming increasingly aware of brands and logos on people and things. Kind of like Cayce Pollard, the fictional logo-allergic character in Pattern Recognition. I long for a world with less in-your-face branding everywhere.
-Influencers. I can't escape them. I might just want to watch a shoe review or get a Fantano take on a new album, but in the back of my mind, even if they say it isn't happening, I just know there's some sort of deal going on behind the scenes to get this product hyped. Feels the exact opposite of authentic.
-Brand and Identity. "I've always been a Levi's guy." "Jameson is my brand, man." "Oh I know her. She's the girl who ALWAYS has a different pair of Vans on." Fuck that. No one need to be so loyal to a brand that it becomes your identity. This brand isn't paying you.
-Bad brands and companies stain a community. Labor exploits. Ill-advised "woke" campaigns. Environmental impact. Yikes.
Anyway, this is my thread about brands. I hope some people smarter than me can make it a good one.
