Brands

Being a frugal shopper, I hate to say brands run our lives, but they do. I spend $2.15 on a cup of tea from Starbucks almost every morning. I could probably make the same cup at home for much less. I prefer Starbucks tea rather than a cup from home because in my mind, I think it has better quality. And a part of me thinks I'm kind of cool walking around with a cup of Starbucks, hoping maybe someone will ask me what I'm sipping on, and I could then share a little part of me through a 32oz cup.

Advertising is meant not only to sell a product, but to sell a lifestyle. And branding builds onto selling a lifestyle, giving its consumer an identity. People who sport certain brands hope to help ensure their status in this world. My first thoughts when seeing someone driving a Porsche is that the person behind the wheel is successful in their career and is comfortable with their finances. Just by one single brand, you can infer what the person is like, possibly that they are well educated, and maybe that they have gotten a few speeding tickets.

An important part of a brand creating identity is that the brand is relevant. Everyone wants to keep up with the Jones' (or maybe its the Kardashians) and nobody wants knock offs. A brand needs to continue developing, changing, and going with the swing of society. Yet, brands need to still bring their quality that they started with. I work in retail and all of our products are very natural. Keeping with the natural ingredients, most of the makeup came in natural colors. But a new audience, 18-24 year olds, they usually don't want a natural look. Its interesting to see my store's transition from natural to vibrant to stay relevant to new audiences.