Branding Essay

As a eat population we fork up formed dim emotional bonds with our shits, to the extent that they now countersink who we be and how we be perceived. (Isaksen and Roper, 2008). Brands ar everywhere we bear. They argon simply unavoid qualified. We put forward up in the morning confrontation our teeth with a spot of toothpaste, engagement our mark shampoo, put on several(prenominal) places of clothes and then eat our branded toast. We simply targetnot escape from them. So the questions I pose are Why do we choose the brands we do? What do our brands narrate ab forbidden us?Brand ersonality refers to the nail down of human characteristics associated with a brand (Aaker, 1997). When I talk about brand assure or brand personality I am basically asking if this brand were a person who would it be? Or else when we misdirect these brands what do they represent? Our forward-looking culture has capture obsessed with brands so what do they mean? If you steal a BMW people go forth assume you are rich, if you are seen walking around with a pair of Beats you are seen to be cool. Every product we buy or service we use says something about us whether we want it to or not.Everything comes with an age or has a stigma attached to it. til now the music we listen to and the celebrities we admire wipe out become brands in themselves. Take Kim Kardashian as an example she wasnt heard of up until 2007 and now she is virtuoso of the most famous women on the planet with business ventures much(prenominal) as perfume, clothing stores, a T. V show and over 16 million followers on Twitter she has tout ensemble made a brand out of herself. Aaker (1997) suggests that the personality traits associated with a brand, such(prenominal) as those associated with an individual, tend to be elatively enduring and clean-cut.Such as when you hear Mercedes you look at sumptuosity, Guinness is tradition and Chanel is elegance. In colleges all crossways the country every st udent not only has the burden of exams and QCAs barely also how they look and its the brands they buy that decide this. You will be questioned if youre not wearing the in vogue(p) Hollister huckster or carrying a shiny smart iPhone 5. Hollister originated in California in 1922 and is a brand associated with the beach and surfboarding yet in most trains and colleges it has been off into popularity contest of who can have the ost or the best or the newest.Brands are wholly consuming us and its not Just spoilt jejuners any more than it is ranging from everyone from tender kids of 5 years old sound through adolescents up to adults. Primary school kids are coming home emit because they dont have the latest brand of lunch box kindred their friends and middle aged men are going out buying laughably expensive promises and cars Just to stay step young because they believe thats what those brands can offer them. They are willing to gift for Just a couple more years of feeling y oung and on trend.This leads into Bhat and Reddy (1998) and their guess of how brands can be functional, typic or both. Functional brands satisfy present(prenominal) and serviceable needs. Symbolic brands satisfy symbolical needs such as those for self-expression and prestige, and their practical usage Is only incidental (Bhat and Reddy,1998). wad have taken a brand that was originally meant as functional such as clothing, phones and cars and turned them into something so symbolic that they actually covet them. You keep trustworthy clothes for good wear surpass hours cleaning your car and people embark on ore now to save a talling phone than a talling baby.Bhat and Reddy ( 8) were able to prove this theory through variant research groups and methods For example, to owners of Harley-Davidson cycles, their motorcycle is not Just a room of transportation. (Bhat and Reddy, 1998). They have said It is an experience, an attitude, a lifestyle, and a vehicle to express who one is (Aaker,1996). Adolescents are influenced the easiest when it comes to symbolic positioning of brands. As cognitive development progresses, adolescents are able to understand the complex ymbolism of brands and their role in defining the self. Chaplin and Roedder-John, 2005) They want everything theyre friends have and are surrounded by images of celebrities masking off the latest fashions and technology. Several brands are eventide endorsed by the celebrities they look up to. Young girls are influenced so easy by the beautiful people on television so wherefore wouldnt they want to buy shampoo that will marque their hair look give care Cheryl Coles hair or make up that will make them look like Beyonc or even clothes that will make them look like Rihanna.Even teenage boys are seeing images such as David Beckham sprawled crosswise a billboard half bleak so why shouldnt they buy Armani boxers to look like him and why shouldnt they want to drive the luxury car brands like soccer players? Companies ceaselessly aim products at teenagers through different mediums such as television, music, and celebrities. Isaksen and Roper (2008) suggests brands which are placed in popular teenage television programs are likely to bring in from a positive image and be popular among adolescent consumers. Teenagers have become walking brands but t isnt their fault it is what they are surrounded by.In summary brands have completely taken over our lives. Everyone buys into them whether they mean to or not and we can all pretend to abhor them yet they are such a big part of our everyday lives at that place is no escaping them. Companies have realised this and deal exactly how to market their brands to the different markets so we have to accept them. We are influenced by them in ways we dont even realise. They are part of our club and culture and the fashion of brands is only outgrowth stronger so my final question is which brand are you?